Girls Are Weird
by Useful76
Summary: She keeps glancing over to the other side of the classroom at him and mentally smiles every time. She often imagines what her life would be like if they were together. She giggles at her thoughts. Summary finished inside NaruSaku, NarutoXSakura, SakuNaru
1. Chapter 1

Hello All! This is my first Fan Fic. I've read probably over 200 fanfics of many different shapes and styles and became increasingly interested in getting a storyline that I had in my head on paper...er...electronic data. Hopefully it doesn't suck. My writing style is amateur at best. I do intend to keep this going as long as the muse in my head will allow. Criticism is MORE than welcome since its the only way I'll get better. Flames can also be made but try to at least give reasons for the flames aside from "you suck" or "I hate you."

Disclaimer: I've seen sooooo many of them and always wonder why. But in the lawyered up world we live in, I know exactly why. I don't own Naruto.

Usual setup here.

"Character Speaking"

_"Character Thinking"_

**"Inner Sakura Speaking"**

**_"Inner Sakura Thinking"_**

_Flashbacks are italicized_

Girls are weird

She keeps glancing over to the other side of the classroom towards him and inwardly smiles every time. She often imagines what her life would be like if they were married. She pictures him wrapping his strong arms around her waist and tenderly embracing her in a gentle show of affection. His beautiful hair all messy and wild. His gorgeous eyes that seem to be deeper than chasms. His muscular build that's quite defined for a 12 year old. She often found herself inwardly mesmerized at how perfect he is to her. Yes to Sakura this boy was an Adonis. A god among men in the form of a 12-year-old boy. She was in love with …Uzamaki Naruto.

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It began like any other day. She woke up and went through her morning routine before heading off to school. However, today was the Genin Exam. Sakura was more than ready to pass but she sighed deep down at something that pained her deeply. She was worried that Naruto wouldn't pass the test and that she would miss her chance of being on a team with him.

Now to anyone that merely glanced at her everyday actions in class, one would think that she hated Naruto. She would make fun of him, hit him, berate him and basically make his life hell. It was all her weird way of trying to win his affection. She knew that he had a personality that never gave up. She didn't want to make it so easy on him to come and get her. Sure sometimes she would feel a slight tinge of guilt when she would see his downtrodden face but she knew that he would never give up on her. She felt that he would always be there for her in some way. But a girl does have to keep up appearances. How else can you explain her actions? She personally tortures the one she loves but openly professes her undying devotion to the one she loathes so much…. Uchiha Sasuke.

Sasuke was a stuck up, arrogant prick. He would insult people, especially his fangirls. He would act extremely cocky in his abilities to the point of being obnoxious. His pompous attitude about being the last of his clan makes it damn near impossible to feel sorry about their murders. Everything about him just rubbed her the wrong way. Sure he's had a tough life but so have others. Like her love. She didn't know why, but people hated her Naruto even when he was a little boy.

**Flashback **

_When she was about 6, she saw a group of citizens surround the golden haired orphan and begin to beat him for no apparent reason. She cried her eyes out at the sight as her heart went out to the boy from her position behind a tree. Being only 6 at the time, she was afraid to help him for fear of being attacked as well. She would later curse her cowardice. As she sat there helpless after the poor boy had been beaten she was about to go to him and help to get him medical attention. It was what happened next that made her fall in love with him even at her young age. After they were gone, he stood up and defiantly yelled that he could take whatever they threw at him. It wasn't going to stop him from achieving his dreams. His raw determination made Sakura's heart swell with pride and affection. She knew that this boy was special. From that day, she declared that Uzamaki Naruto would be worth fighting for._

**End Flashback**

Yet there she was, everyday professing to Ino-pig that she would win Sasuke's affections. She would attempt to show her pure determination and prove her fangirldom while Inner Sakura was on the verge of puking at her daily actions. Ultimately, her inner persona knew that it was all part of the master plan.

Yes girls do things a little differently than boys. When a girl likes a boy she pretends to not like him. When she really likes a boy, she pretends to hate him in order to get him to like her even more. Makes perfect sense right? It does in Sakura's mind. So why the fake affection for Sasuke? Simple really. She didn't want anyone to catch on to how great Naruto really was. If she began showing outward affection towards him before she was certain that he was madly in love with her, then other girls might swoop in and steal his adorable self from her grasp. Sure she noticed Hinata's blushes and glances at him. She fought hard not to get up and simply punch her through a wall out of mad jealousy. If it wasn't for the fact that Hinata was so damn shy, the urge to do so would have been too overwhelming to ignore. She knew that Hinata ultimately posed no threat to her plans since she would never gain the confidence needed to express her feelings towards Naruto. She would simply bide her time till she got her lovable dobe onto her team and all to herself.

Anyway, Sakura now roused from her thoughts realizes that she must hurry to get to school for the exam. She races down the steps, grabs a quick energy bar and sprints through the streets of Konoha towards the academy. Luckily she makes it there on time.

She walks in, glances towards her golden haired, dream boy and inwardly smiles even if her outer appearance displays annoyance. Naruto notices that she has entered and walks up to her.

"Hi there, Sakura-Chan!" Naruto exclaims in his overloud but extremely cute way.

Inner Sakura is doing back flips and cheering up and down, and Sakura nearly gives in to her urges in an attempt to lunge at the boy and smother him with passionate kisses. However, she composes herself and remembers the master plan.

"Ugh, what Naruto?!" Sakura growls but inwardly wishes she could purr in his ear.

"Just wanted to say that …umm… you look pretty today!" as his cheeks blushed slightly while a sheepish grin plastered on his face.

God she we wanted him so badly it hurt her but she had to remain strong. She couldn't let all this planning go to waste. She had been at this for too long to fail now when she knew she was getting close to her goal of making him crazy for her. Maybe today was the day to start the new phase of her plan; slowly make it seem like he was breaking down her defenses and getting through to her. No she had a timetable in mind and knew that she wanted to wait till they were on a team to begin phase 2. She just had to have patience.

"Baka! You're in my way! I need to get a seat near Sasuke before Ino-pig does." Again growling at him, while Inner Sakura was apologizing.

"Pfft! What do you see in that teme anyway? He's an arrogant prick that makes sure to let you know all the reasons for his arrogant prickdom. I should kick his ass so that you'll start to like me instead of him."

"**HELL YEA!!! Kick the shit out the Uchiha-Teme!!!"** proclaimed Inner Sakura.

"_Oh I so wish you would!"_ as Sakura readily agreed in her mind but appearances needed to be maintained for the moment.

With a large fist to the top of his head, Sakura crushed Naruto straight into the floor and hovered over him.

"Don't you dare hurt Sasuke-kun!" She protests while Inner Sakura hurls at her use of the suffix.

Suddenly, Sakura remembered the Genin Exam and inwardly hoped that Naruto was ok to take it after such a large punch to the cranium. Silently cursing herself at her over-zealousness, she began to panic inside. Fortunately, he began to get up as he always did. She didn't know why she had such lack of faith in him. He always bounces back.

He had a pouty look on his face that made him almost irresistible and she resisted the urge to smile and run her fingers through his hair.

It was at this point Iruka-sensei came in and demanded everyone to take their seats. They were about to begin the exam.

One by one, each student went up and performed their test. So far every single one of them passed. This tests were almost too simple in her mind. She was happy when she was handed her hitai-tai having achieved one of her goals of becoming a ninja.

Now hopefully her next goal would be attainable as she waited for object of her affection to take his test. She was a little worried. She knew that he was the class dobe but it wasn't because he was dumb. It was because he always goofed off to get attention. There was the one part of the test she had the most apprehension about though. That was the bushin. She had seen him try before and knew that he struggled with it. His chakra control just wasn't anywhere near hers.

This started to make her sweat. What if he couldn't do it? What if he failed? What if she'd never be able to get on her team?

All these thoughts raced through her mind and causing her to zone out that she missed his test. When she looked up after the eruption of laughter occurred, she feared the worst. Her fears were confirmed when she heard what Iruka-Sensei announced next.

"Naruto, You Fail."

Her heart nearly broke at the pained expression on his face. She didn't have the strength to even fake her annoyance at him for the moment. All her plans. All her dreams. They were gone. She would not be on Naruto's team. She wouldn't be able to win his affection. Her dream boy was going to drift away from her forever.

She fought the urge to cry when Inner Sakura gave her some reassurance.

**"Don't go down without a FIGHT, GIRL!!! We're gonna get him no matter what!"** her inner persona vehemently reassured.

_"You're right. I can't give up! He wouldn't give up. Just because we're not on the same team doesn't mean I can't still win his affection."_ She thought.

With her newfound confidence, Sakura renewed her vow to win the love of her life, Uzamaki Naruto.

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So ends the first Chapter. I hope to have chapter 2 up shortly. Hope everyone enjoys it. Regardless of whether you love it or hate it, please let me know. Its the only way I'll get better. Thanks!

Useful


	2. Chapter 2

Second chapter up the same day. Next chapter might be a few days since I have a few things planned this weekend. I hope my muse stays with me. This idea is digging at my brain and I just want to see it through to the end.

Thanks to those who have written reviews and have placed this story on alert and favs list already. It's only been up a few hours so I'm grateful.

"Character Speaking"

_"Character Thinking"_

**"Inner Sakura Speaking"**

**_"Inner Sakura Thinking"_**

_Flashbacks are italicized_

Disclaimer: Yea, don't own Naruto. Otherwise it wouldn't take 12 episodes to freakin fight Itachi.

Girls are Weird

Chapter 2

Sakura lay there in her bed pondering exactly how she was going to get Naruto if she wouldn't be around him nearly as much. Her whole plan had revolved around them being on the same team. She knew for a while that the 2 best students were always paired with the worst in the class so she was ready to start phase 2 by tomorrow after they had met their sensei. This whole new development caused her to rack her brain coming up with new strategies.

She thought of how she could ambush him at his favorite eating spot, Ichiraku where she could throw ramen in his face for attempting to ask her on a date. She imagined passing by him everyday casually on her way to missions attempting to get him to make his usual passes at her. She fantasized following him home to his apartment, sneaking in and slowly beginning to take off his clothes while he would kiss her neck sensuously, working his way gracefully down towards her…

She woke up with a jolt after realizing that her strategy planning had turned into an intensely, passionate dream. She glanced over at the clock and realized that it was almost time to get up.

Sighing at the realization of what the day was, she began to get out of bed. She wasn't looking forward to being on the team with that arrogant ass, Sasuke, but she knew that since they were the 2 best in the class grades wise, they'd be paired up with whoever the worst was. Nothing she could really do about it now. She'd have to get into her best acting mode in order to keep up appearances. At least she wouldn't have to be too "fangirlish" if Ino or any other girl wasn't around.

_"Plus Naruto wouldn't be there and I won't have to act too…"_

The statement in her head made her sadder then it should have. She thought she already gotten herself adjusted to the notion of Naruto not being on her team. Unfortunately, this new wave of sadness hit her and her rationality temporarily took a break.

She got her shower and headed off to school in a gloomy mood. She didn't even really pay attention to the teachers discussing something about a traitor and a missing scroll. Normally that would be an interesting topic to eavesdrop on but today it just didn't grab at her curiosity.

No she was miserable despite her best efforts to appear happy. Sure she would get over this melancholy feeling and focus on her task of winning him eventually. However, right now that thought didn't seem to help. She was a Genin and he was not here.

Resigned to her mood for the moment, she waltzed up to the door and then put on her mask. She had to look extra happy when Iruka-sensei announced that the arrogant prick was on her team.

"**Makes me sick to act so sweet and happy without our man being here!"** Inner Sakura bellowed.

Sakura agreed. Still she had to trudge on. That's what he would do. He wouldn't give up and he wouldn't act sad. So she won't either. Sakura found the strength to push on thinking of all those times she had seen her lovable baka do so when facing tough obstacles. As she entered the room, she remembered her vow. She would work harder than she ever had to win the heart of Uzamaki….

"Naruto?" Sakura astonishingly announced as she entered the room.

"Oh! Hi Sakura-Chan! How are you today?" Naruto replied as if there was nothing unusual at all by his presence.

Sakura was inwardly giddy, overjoyed even. Hell, Inner Sakura was bouncing off the walls in sheer delirium at the fact that he was in the room. Her outward shocked appearance luckily didn't give any of her happiness away. Slowly she regained her composure.

"What are you doing here, baka?" Sakura questioned honestly.

What was he doing here? Didn't he fail? Wasn't her dream shattered? Why does she care about that now? He was here. She was happy that he was, but wouldn't Iruka-sensei kick him out once he got there? A wave of emotions flowed over her as dread was replaced with hope only to be countered again by despair at the thought of losing him again after suddenly seeing her plans renewed.

"I had a …makeup test … with Iruka-sensei last night. He let me become a Genin." He stated with one of the cutest foxy grins she had ever seen.

Her heart leaped! Her dreams weren't ruined. Her plans still had a chance. She would on his team for sure now. Right? In her joy she still had a nagging doubt in the back of her mind. What if her calculations of the teams weren't accurate? No she refused to let herself panic again. He was here and he WOULD be on her team. She was sure of it.

Regaining her composure she made sure to get a parting shot in at him for appearances. After all Ino was there and she sure as hell wasn't going to let her even get a sniff of how much Naruto meant to her. She knew that her predatory nature would slip in for the kill and try to take her man from her. Thus the reason she pretended to love the Uchiha so much.

"Well whatever. I guess it must've been easy if they let you pass." She chided.

He never let it faze him. She could see that he was still reveling in the fact that he had passed. His grin never wavered and his confidence seemed supreme. She just adored him inwardly and marveled at how well he can simply take life's punishments and throw them off like they were nothing.

"Well it was pretty easy." As he chuckled to himself apparently thinking of some inside joke that she wasn't aware of.

She just thought of how cute he looked as he chuckled. The way his cheeks gleamed. The way his eyes shined. The pure aura of happiness that waved off of him was mesmerizing. She slowly started to turn a shade of pink at the thoughts of him. She hadn't realized but she was admiring him for a few seconds too long as he woke her from her daydream.

"Eh, Sakura-Chan? You ok? You're turning a little red. You getting sick?" He asked with a concerned tone.

She jolted from her reverie and realized she almost made a slip up. She had to act fast in order to not rouse his suspicions. Her girl mind worked overtime on the plan she had and wasn't about to lose it all to a blush from his smile. So she did what she always did. She punched him in the head.

"Baka!"

Naruto lay there confused once again by her actions adorning a pouty look on his face. Satisfied that she rectified the situation, Sakura quickly made her way to her seat. She got there and let a breath that she didn't realize she was holding.

Naruto took his seat next to her and began to mumble to himself.

"Man. Girls are weird."

Iruka-sensei finally entered the room in order to announce the teams. She noticed that he made a nodding gesture and a smile towards Naruto. He simply smiled back. She didn't revel on the significance of the nod but took solace in the fact that Iruka-sensei didn't kick Naruto out. Therefore, he was telling the truth. Naruto was indeed a Genin and was going to be on her team. Right? There was that damn nagging doubt in the back of her head. Hopefully it meant nothing.

Iruka-sensei began to read of the names. He got to Team 7 and she heard the names being listed.

"Uzamaki Naruto…"

Her heart leapt. This was it. The moment she was waiting for.

"…Uchiha Sasuke…"

"Argh!!" groaned Naruto

"_So far so good"_ she thought

"…and…. Yamanaka Ino?"

"YESSSSSSS!!!!!!!" Ino Screamed.

Sakura looked crestfallen. She could do it openly too since people would think that she was simply mourning the chance of being with the teme. How could she have been so wrong? Where did her calculations get screwed up? She put her head down but then Iruka-sensei began to speak again.

"Hmm this isn't right. I was sure I made them different last night." He pondered and then noticed something.

The name itself didn't appear to be on the paper correctly. As he moved his head, the name seemed to hover.

He made a quick sign with his hands and uttered…"Kai."

Sure enough there was a genjutsu crudely placed over the paper. He took a glance up at the blonde haired kunoichi who was now looking anywhere in the room but at him whistling to herself.

He chuckled and thought to himself _"Man if she would have spent as much effort into her training as she does into getting Sasuke, then she'd be very formidable."_

"Anyway, the name I was supposed to call out was Haruno Sakura." Iruka-sensei went on to say.

Sakura suddenly jolted from or depressed state realizing what that meant. She was on Naruto's team after all. Overwhelmed by this change of events she stood up to cheer.

"WOOHOO! I'm on his team after all!" she exclaimed loudly.

Everyone assumed that she meant Sasuke, but at that moment she truly wasn't acting. She had meant her outburst for her love, Naruto. Suddenly realizing that, she stood startled and replayed what she just said in her head making sure she didn't screw up. Finally, she sighed knowing that she had not.

She put on a genuine smile of happiness at the thought of being with Naruto everyday from now on. She could finally begin to set her plan into full motion.

"Well at least you're on my team, Sakura-Chan. Now I don't have to be stuck with Sasuke-teme alone." He stated as he gave her a foxy grin that nearly caused her to faint from pleasure.

"Baka!" she yelled as she bonked him on his head sending him down to the floor.

Well her next phase could wait till tomorrow. After all appearances needed to be kept. She couldn't have all these girls in the room realizing how damn sexy Naruto is with that smile. With him in a heap and not smiling, she could be safe that they wouldn't notice. Even though Hinata was beginning to give her glares. Hmm maybe she would be a threat after all.

No matter. He was on HER team. She would have plenty of time to enact her plan to claim his love.

"Oww!" he said as he rose off the ground. "Man, girls are REALLY weird."

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Well thats chapter 2. I'll get chapter 3 ASAP. It might be a few days or even a week though so bear with me.

I will finish this no matter What!! If I can not finish it, then I will do 2000 laps on my hands around Konoha and If I am unable to do that, then I will do 12,000 pushups on 1 finger. Then if I can not complete that I will completely give up...hmmm...thats not very youthful though. Oh well.


	3. Chapter 3

A 3rd chapter in the same day! Gotta love it when the Muse fairy strikes. Hope you all like it.

Thanks again to all those that have read, reviewed, fav'ed and alerted (in that order) my story. I try to give driect thanks to all those who support me but if I don't get to you, please don't stop liking my story. ;-)

Anyway, In this chapter there is no "Flashback" italics since there are 2 large flashbacks that take place. So I treated them merely as scene changes to avoid the messy look. Also I bumped the rating to M just in case my language goes a little overboard and maybe my "suggestive themes" become a little too suggestive. I don't think I'll go lemon but innuendos sure are funny. Iim just doing it to be safe.

Without further ado, enjoy.

Disclaimer: Lawyers can kiss my fucking ass! But I don't own Naruto anyway.

Girls are Weird

Chapter 3

Sakura was walking home after her meeting with their new Sensei, Kakashi. She smiled to herself as her plan was working perfectly. At this rate, Naruto would be hers within the allotted timeframe. Even though she still had a lot of work to do.

As she cheerfully strolled her way to her parent's house, she slowly began to recall the events from earlier in the day.

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Earlier, while waiting for Kakashi-sensei

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"Where the hell is this guy?" groaned Naruto, as he was getting very antsy about the amount of time they had to wait so far.

Inner Sakura was raging as well.

"**Who does this guy think he is!? I'm going to kick him square in the BALLS when he gets in here for making us wait this long!!!" **she colorfully explained to Sakura.

Sakura inwardly sweat-dropped at her alter ego's ramblings. Though she too was becoming annoyed. She took this time to look over her 2 teammates.

To her left, was the poster boy for brooding, Uchiha Sasuke, in his natural 'stance,' sitting with a smug look on his face that declared to the world, 'I'm better than you, so eat me.' Man even though she hated the guy, she would really need to work on removing that stick that was permanently lodged in his rectal cavity if she was going to have to be his teammate for the foreseeable future. He has the personality of tapeworm only not as easy to get along with. His dark black hair, combined with his black eyes just screamed to the world 'I'm emo, feel my brood no jutsu.'

Sighing to herself, she decided to torment him a little.

"Hey Sasuke-_kun_?" Once again Inner Sakura was having trouble keeping her lunch down at the suffix.

"hn." Was the rather intelligent response she was given.

Grinning at the boy's insistence on being a prick, she struck him with a real annoying tone of voice.

"Well I was wondering if you and me could maybe hang out later today and you know do some fun things together and stuff or something like that, you know?"

Inside she was laughing at how annoying she must sound right now.

"Hmph." Was the new vocabulary word Sasuke had given her from his 'All Emo, All Day' dictionary. "Why would I want to hang out with someone so annoying."

"Oh, well maybe s-some other t-time then" She pretended to stutter for added affect and threw in a small tear.

She should get a damn Academy award for this performance. Inner Sakura was cracking up in her mind at the scene that was playing out before her. Delighted at the annoyed look he was giving her, she felt satisfied for the moment after tormenting him and then turned back to the object of her affection.

Naruto gave her a heart warming foxy grin and then scooted over to her.

"You know Sakura-Chan, I'll treat you to lunch if you're interested after this. Someone as beautiful as yourself shouldn't have to put up with brooding pricks that can't appreciate a delicate flower when it is staring them in the face."

Sakura really had to work overtime now. She could barely suppress the urge her body was giving her brain to turn her face into a tomato out of the pure bliss from the words he just poeticized to her. If the circumstances were any different, she would strip down right in front of him now and demand him to take her. As it stood though, she obviously couldn't do that. She had a knee jerk reaction to quell her rising hormones in her body, quite literally.

"Oww! Damn, my shin!" Naruto howled in pain as Sakura's foot shot out and connected with the aforementioned leg bone of said blonde.

Sakura managed to suppress the rising pleasure-pressure within her delicate frame. Regaining her composure she decided that perhaps phase 2 could begin.

"Naruto, don't talk about Sasuke-_kun _that way!" she began to yell but then moved in closer to his ear.

He flinched at her closeness expecting the worst after the physical abuse clinic she had been subjecting him to all day. She began to whisper in his ear.

"Though I do appreciate the compliment." She said in a subtle, shy voice that could only be heard by himself.

Naruto grew wide-eyed at her words. Sakura could tell by the look on his face that he was further confused at her actions. His adjustment from shock into a genuine smile though told her that he was pleasantly surprised. She knew this would only further cement his iron will towards seeking her affection.

"_Poor Naruto-kun. If only you knew how much of my affection you already have." _She mused.

Naruto looked as if he no longer had a care in the world. He sat back with his hands behind his head, grinning stupidly for the entire world to see. Sakura inwardly smiled at the slight joy she had been able to give him.

Satisfied with her work for the day, she began thinking of the ways she was going to get back at their sensei for his tardiness. Inner Sakura was providing some 'colorful' suggestions that even Sakura felt a little queasy about implementing.

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Back to Sakura in the present

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Giggling to herself as she ran up to her room. Sakura started to think about her sweet Naruto-kun and the times they would share in the hopefully not too distant future as friends, companions and hopefully lovers. A blush came over her as the last one aroused certain thoughts.

Shaking her head and remembering not to get too ahead of herself, she began to go over her strategy. She knew she had the advantage when it came to getting him to be hers. He liked her. She was going to see him everyday. The close proximity of their bodies for training, combat and sleeping arrangements during their life as shinobi bode well for her plan's success rate.

She knew there were dangers to take into account though. Hinata might become a problem sooner than she anticipated after the display she showed earlier.

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Before Team 8 left with Kurenai-Sensei

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Sakura was still coming down from her high at the revelation of being on Naruto's team. She glanced over at said blonde who was just beginning to pick himself up off the ground. What she saw next infuriated her and sent Inner Sakura nuclear.

"M-may I help you up, N-naruto-kun?" Hinata shyly stated as she held her hand out to him.

To Sakura's dismay, Naruto gladly accepted and proceeded to give Hinata a congratulatory hug for becoming a Genin.

Hinata was so overjoyed at this she didn't notice 2 things. One was the severe killing intent Sakura was giving off subconsciously despite her calm outward appearance and Two was the rapidly approaching floor as she quickly slumped into a heap from the experience she just had.

THUMP!

"Oi, Hinata? You ok?" Naruto asked her now passed out form.

Thankfully for Sakura, Hinata's team carried her off to their meeting before she could awake and further jeopardize her plans.

"_Man, she's a little more confident than I thought, coming up and helping him like that. I better focus more on my task before she becomes too much of a problem."_ Sakura pondered deeply.

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Back again to Sakura of the present, or Present Sakura, you get the freakin idea.

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Sighing, Sakura realized that Hinata was growing more confident with herself. She also knew that Hinata wouldn't be the only problem.

Naruto's gorgeous looks were a secret weapon against women. He simply hadn't turned it against anyone other than Sakura yet. His wild, golden locks that flowed in the wind. His cerulean eyes that made oceans jealous of the vibrance they exuded. His amazingly taut body hidden underneath that orange jumpsuit. Then of course the ultimate weapon, his charm combined with his vast array of smiles. This was like an S-class jutsu against women. There was no escaping it once he wielded it against them.

Sakura knew that once the other kunoichi's like Ino-pig had noticed these redeeming qualities, her mission success rate would drop significantly. They would move in like a predator to its prey, seeking the thrill of the hunt above the actual meal in most cases.

Such was the life of a fan girl. Living from crush to crush. Sakura knew the rules of the game well. That's why she devised this 'simple' plan of hers to obtain the magnificent blonde shinobi before any of these events took place.

She closed her eyes and allowed herself to indulge in a dream of their future together as well as the many 'pleasures' that life would entail. This would be a simple delight she would partake in before she had to begin the plan in full swing the following day.

She giggled to herself and slowly passed into a deep sleep but not before uttering in a short passionate breath…

"I love you, Naruto-kun."

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Woot! The muse fairy struck me on the head and I managed a 3rd chapter in one day. Hopefully the bitch doesn't leave me and I can formulate where I want this story to go.

Chapter 4 might be a bit now. My friend's bachelor party is tommorrow and I won't be having any free time this weekend since it's Mother's Day as well. Monday at the earliest.

Again please Read and Review. Give me criticism if you feel I need it because we can only grow from our mistakes. Thanks again to all who love me and even to those that hate me. What I can't stand is those damn, dirty "neutrals."


	4. Chapter 4

Alright! Muse fairy didn't leave me. I love her to death. Still have some more ideas too after this chapter rolling around so another one might be on its way during this week if can get some time to type it.

A couple of notes. You'll begin to notice in this chapter especially, Naruto and Sakura are OOC. Naruto is alot smarter than he is in the series. I still keep his lovable goofiness when it fits but underneath he is a smart kid. He's no Shikamaru but he can figure things out and come up with plans. Sakura is also more focused then she is in the series. Normally her fan-girlness overcomes her and she breaks down like a babbling idiot. She pretends to be one over Sasuke in my story but even though she's Naruto's #1 fangirl, she doesn't hold traditional fangirl tendencies. She gets down to business when the situation calls for it instead of focusing on her love life.

It's not in this chapter yet but other characters will be OOC too. Hinata for one. You'll see what I do with her later. I think you'll like it as it ties into the whole "Girls are Weird" theme.

Sorry no one new is introduced in this chapter as it revolves around the bell test. No room to add any outsiders. I wanted to show some growth in Sasuke this chapter as well as establish the kind of team they are going to be. I don't plan on focusing on action though in this story. The team establishment is more to show how well Naruto and Sakura work together. Furthering emphasizing how good they are for each other.

**Once again, HUGE thanks to all those who have read, reviewed, fav'ed, alerted and even in one case added my story to their C2 community. I love all you guys. I would write this story even if people hated it because it's bugging my brain but it's great to see so many people like it. Thanks a ton guys. Again don't shy away from criticism. I want to know where I can make my story better**.

Without further ado, Chapter 4.

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, I wouldn't be writing stories on a fanfic site, would I? I'd be swimming in my money bin spitting huge golden coins out of my mouth while laughing maniacly. In other words, **I don't own Naruto.**

Girls are Weird

Chapter 4

"_Well this sucks."_ Thought Sakura as she sat there surveying the situation.

Team 7 had been waiting at the training grounds since 8am and their sensei had yet to arrive for this "survival training" he had in store for them. She knew that "survival training" was merely a fancy way of saying "The REAL Genin Test" after their meeting the day before. So she came prepared by eating a hearty breakfast to have enough energy for the day. After their sensei's first display of tardiness, she'd be damned if she wasn't going to have food in her stomach waiting 3 hours for him. If the baka-sensei happened to show up on time and then she puked from training, she would cross that bridge when she comes to it.

Right now though it was close to 11am and she was complimenting herself on her forward thinking in preparing for a battle. It seemed Naruto had also ignored their sensei's warning of eating breakfast. Although, I think that was out of sheer habit of eating in the morning rather than being prepared. She wanted to believe it was because he was analyzing the situation and preparing for outcomes like she had done. However, as much as she loved him, she didn't think he was that intuitive. Who knows though? He has always been extremely surprising.

Sasuke with all his book smarts and god-given ability seemed to be the only one who didn't "look underneath, the underneath" when it came to their sensei's words about breakfast. He looked downright miserable and the groans coming from his stomach were quite audible.

Sakura sighed to herself. _"How can the Rookie of the year be so completely dense at times?"_

Realizing she still had some time before their sensei came, Sakura felt like breaking the serious mood by getting in Sasuke's head some more. After all the best way to keep a brooding emo at bay was to try and be as sickeningly sweet as possible to them.

She strolled up next to him and put on a smile that could make your teeth hurt at the sweetness it exuded. She then twiddled her hair a bit for added effect and then began to speak to him with an entirely too cutesy voice.

"Sasuke-kun? Umm, I hope that our training, well, is, umm, good today. I'm sure you will be able to succeed no problem since you're so great and all!" rising into a high-pitched squeal at the end; A trademark of all fangirls.

"Hn. Whatever." Sasuke managed to grunt out. "Just don't get in my way."

She was delighted at the way he squirmed as she got closer and closer to him. This guy deserved all this discomfort with his stuck up attitude and the way he treated pretty much everyone on a daily basis.

"Well, we're on a team now so we'll have to be very close with each other in order to complete our missions." She said in a pleading tone that still held an annoying twang in the pitch.

For added affect, she attempted to move in closer and latch her arm onto his. She almost burst out laughing as he nearly lost his cool in his attempt to escape her touch. He nearly fell over backwards off the bridge railing into the water but luckily for him he just landed awkwardly to the side. Was he emo or is he actually gay? He seems to not like girls at all. If he wasn't such an asshole it'd be sad really but his attitude makes it almost impossible to feel sorry for him.

His momentary lapse in 'emo-ness' now averted, he returned to his cold exterior and addressed Sakura.

"Understand that an annoying fangirl and the dobe over there will only hold me back. I having bigger more important things to deal with than to play ninja with a bunch of losers like you."

Inner Sakura having expected a response like this was rolling around laughing in her head. Outside though, Sakura began to shed fake tears in order to hide the laughter about to burst from her. She masked the laughs with sobs in order to make it less apparent to her real reaction.

Naruto saw this and got right into Sasuke's face to defend her honor.

"Listen here, teme! You may not like us but we're your teammates now. You may not treat me with respect but I'll be damned if I sit here and let you badmouth Sakura-Chan causing her to cry."

Slightly surprised but extremely overjoyed at his words, Sakura once again found herself trying not to blush. She wasn't succeeding and so she tried to back away in order to escape Naruto's gaze. But he turned around quickly to console her and caught her red-faced. Luckily he is still oblivious when it comes to female reactions.

"You okay, Sakura-Chan? You still seem upset. I mean your face is all…" he began to say to her until she bonked him on the head once more. She really needed to find a better way to cover up her reactions that didn't involve physical pain on the one she loved. She would have to worry about that later.

"Naruto! I'm fine! Why do you have to interrupt my time with Sasuke!" she got out in her usual diatribe on nonsense. Ugh, being a fangirl is hard work.

Sasuke hmph-ed and walked away while Naruto picked himself up and had a slightly hurt expression on his face. She hadn't seen a face like this one in awhile and it had caught her off guard. She wasn't expecting him to take it that hard. I guess that means that he liked her a lot more than she thought. She better rectify the situation a little bit. With Sasuke now out of earshot she walked over to Naruto and whispered to him.

"I… I'm sorry Naruto. I didn't mean to flip out on you like that. I appreciate you standing up for me but I can handle myself." She stated honestly even though she would rather just jump into his arms and have him protect her from all the world's dangers.

"I know you can, Sakura-Chan. I just can't stand to see a pretty girl insulted though. Especially one that's my teammate." He said putting up a grin that wasn't as bright as his normal ones.

"_Oh no! I must've really hurt him this time. I got to fix this before he gets too downtrodden." _She thought to herself.

"Umm, Naruto?" she said in a lot cuter voice than she normal does with him outwardly.

"Yes, Sakura-Chan?" his voice a little more reserved than usual. It seemed as if he was trying to hold back in order to protect himself.

"Well, maybe we can go get something to eat after training to, umm, get to know each other better for teamwork and stuff?" she asked trying not to let her overwhelming enthusiasm burst through into her speech.

His demeanor did a complete 180. Where moments ago his eyes were dull and glassy, they now beamed with sparkling light. His smile that was just a bitter mask covering his inner feelings was back to its genuine foxy self.

He placed his hands behind his head and with the biggest grin she had seen on him in awhile and gave her his answer.

"You bet Sakura-Chan! It's a date!" He proclaimed for the entire world to hear.

She was beaming inside until a realization came to her. She can't let people know it's a date cause then the other girls will find out and become curious in him. She can't have that just yet. So she remedied the situation again.

"Baka! It's NOT a date! It's getting to know a teammate better for teamwork!" She stated as loudly as possible as if she was trying to convince everyone in the world of the situation.

She slapped him behind his head for good measure. This time she merely gave him a love tap compared to the pummeling he was used to. He seemed to notice the toned down attack and smiled sheepishly at her in return.

She sighed outwardly at his antics but inside she was relieved to see that he was no longer gloomy. She couldn't stand it that she had to hurt him sometimes in order to keep up these appearances and keep any rivals at bay. The fact that he was very hurt though means that he was growing to like her more at least. Otherwise it wouldn't have fazed him as much. So her plan was working. She still needed to get him to like her a lot more before she could move into the next phase though.

Finally, Kakashi-sensei showed up in a poof of smoke.

"YOU'RE LATE!" screamed Sakura with a little bit of Inner Sakura's help.

"Sorry I got lost on the road of life. I think I was supposed to make a right at the street of destiny but I turned left onto the boulevard of dreams." Was his asinine response.

Sakura was unable to even call him a liar because she was too dumbfounded. Kakashi then took the silence as understanding of his perilous trip to the training grounds and began to explain the bell test to the 3 Genin.

After he was satisfied that they understood, he announced for them to begin. All 3 quickly jumped away into a hiding spot amongst the trees.

Sakura was well hidden but felt uneasy about the rules of the test.

"_Why is there only 2 bells with 3 people?"_ she pondered. _"Come on, Sakura. You're smart. Think about this. There has to be a trick to it."_

She contemplated the test a little more before deciding to head off to find Naruto or Sasuke and ask them what they thought.

The first person she found was Sasuke. He was hidden in a tree waiting for a chance to strike when Sakura snuck up behind him. She didn't attempt to do her normal fangirl routine as she was still trying to solve the problem of the test.

"Sasuke." She whispered in an attempt to get his attention.

He whirled around surprised and then displayed an angry expression giving away his annoyance at her presence.

"What do you want? You're going to get me caught. Get the hell out of here. I'm trying to focus on getting the bell." He grumbled in a tone that dripped of venom.

Suppressing the urge to lose her cool and kick him out of the tree, she settled down and remembered her reason for seeking him out.

"Listen. This test, there has to be some trick to it. Why are there only 2 bells when there are 3 of us? Something doesn't seem right about this." She stated in an even tone.

He didn't seem to be interested in anything she had to say.

"The only trick I see is the one you're trying to pull over on me. Now get the hell out of here you annoying bitch. I need to get this bell and figure out some way of taking down a jounin." He roared at her.

He then took off to another spot in order to get away from her. She was extremely pissed off and Inner Sakura was calling for blood.

**"That arrogant son of a bitch! I'll rip his balls off and feed them to him if he thinks he can talk to me that way!"**

Sakura regained her composure and realized that the teme actually gave her a clue to the situation. How could he beat a jounin on his own? He was merely a genin. It was almost completely impossible for him to beat a jounin let alone take a bell from his waist.

So what was the trick then? She decided to find Naruto and discuss it with him.

She began walking when she came upon Sasuke who was stabbed with kunai and hurt very badly.

"Sakura, help me!" he cried out.

She hated the guy, but she couldn't let a teammate suffer like that. She began to run to him when she realized that he took off in the other direction when he had left her. He couldn't have been here by this point. Was this a trick by their sensei? She decided to play it safe.

"KAI!" she screamed while making the proper hand sign.

The genjutsu was released and there no longer was a battered and bruised Sasuke anywhere. In the trees sat a Kakashi clone observing the whole situation.

"_Hmm. I was sure she was a typical fangirl from her antics at yesterday's meeting. Maybe she has some potential after all." _The clone pondered before poofing out of existence and reporting his knowledge to the real Kakashi.

Sakura got back to finding Naruto. She soon ran into him, hiding among some bushes. She saw that he was all business. The usual goofy air about him was gone and his over the top cockiness was now subdued into a confident grin. She just couldn't get over how much depth there was to this boy. He truly was her dream man. She strolled up to him and he noticed her presence.

"Hey, Sakura-Chan." He whispered.

She nodded to him but before she could begin asking him his thoughts on the situation, he let her know them.

"I was thinking. Why are there 2 bells for 3 people? It doesn't make sense." He conveyed to her while never taking his eyes off of Kakashi who was standing there reading his treasured orange book.

"That's actually what I was going to ask you about. It has me stumped." She stated.

"I mean if you think about it, there is no way we can beat a jounin one on one at our current level." He went on to say.

She was slightly stunned that he had thought of the same thing she had only without the inadvertent comment from the Uchiha. He really was smarter than even she gave him credit for.

This thought made her swell even more with pride. She knew she had picked the right guy to pursue for her heart. The others all swooned over looks and attitude while Sakura had found a diamond in the rough with her Naruto. He had the looks in her eyes and his attitude she knew was merely a mask in order to get attention from everyone but his true personality and intelligence were hidden from almost everyone even. She had only caught glimpses of it and she knew it was worth the struggle to unravel it and make him all hers.

Jumping back from her thoughts and back to the matter at hand, she heard him begin to speak again.

"I think Kakashi-sensei's goal was to teach us that teamwork is what is needed to defeat him. I still don't know if we could do it though. We will need the teme's help in order to have a shot."

He suddenly realized he called Sasuke a bastard again in front of Sakura and turned to look at her expecting to get wailed in the head. When she merely nodded in agreement, he looked like a wave of relief came over him. Sakura noted her lack of reaction but didn't care at the moment. They had work to do.

"That's an excellent observation, Naruto but what about there being only 2 bells. One of us will still fail right?" She continued their analytical conversation while also observing their sensei's position in the field and standing ready for an attack.

He flashed a quick grin at the compliment she gave him but got right back to the matter at hand.

"That's the thing. Think about it. All the shinobi teams in Konoha, how many members do they have? 3 each. None of them have 2 or 1. So they can't possibly have a test that passes only 1 or 2 people and sends the 3rd back to the academy."

Realization came over her and she gave herself a mental slap on the forehead.

"_DUH! Why didn't I think of that?"_ she thought.

"Of course. That's what this test is. It's not survival training. It's teamwork training. The bells are meant to try and play on our greedy individual side and divide us up thus making it harder to team up and complete the task." She elaborated on his idea.

"Exactly. I'm glad I have such a smart teammate Sakura-Chan." He said as he gave her a flirty grin.

She didn't attempt to hide her blush this time and simply accepted the compliment he gave her. She figured it was acceptable since they were alone and no one would notice. It wouldn't hurt her plans in the least. In fact, it probably would help them along since he would see that his advances were beginning to make some headway on her.

"Thanks, Naruto." She said while trying to make the blush not too noticeable.

He seemed happy about her reaction to him but quickly refocused on the situation.

"Have you been able to find Sasuke at all? We will need his help in this, otherwise it will be difficult to achieve." Naruto asked her.

"I found him earlier but he took off before I could explain what I thought about the test. I don't know if he will help us anyway." She said trying to hide her disgust at the Uchiha for his childish antics.

"That's okay. I think I have a general idea of where he is on the field. If I know him, he will wait for an opening and then come at Kakashi-sensei with a powerful attack to catch him off guard. If we can give him that opening, he might be able to swoop in and take the bells. Even if he doesn't realize the meaning of the test, he can still help us achieve our goal." He said.

Sakura smiled outwardly this time admiring his analysis of the situation.

"That's a good plan, Naruto. When did you get so smart?" She asked with a cute grin on her face.

She knew that he indeed was smarter then he let on for a while. She just wanted to see him smile at her again from another compliment. That smile just gave her goosebumps and she loved every second of the sensation that would wash over her.

"You have to look underneath the underneath, Sakura-Chan." He said with a foxy grin mocking their sensei's tagline that he used at the beginning of the test.

She felt giddy inside and let out a slight chuckle. She wanted to just tangle her fingers in his hair, place her lips on his and forgot about all the troubles the world had to offer. But business came before pleasure.

"Alright let's do this." Naruto exclaimed.

Sakura lay in wait in the bushes to begin her attack after Naruto would distract their sensei with a kage bushin. Naruto's clone strolled out to meet Kakashi head on.

"Hey, Sensei!" he yelled

"Hm?"

"Lets fight right now! I'll kick your ass and take that bell from ya!"

Kakashi seemed unfazed and continued reading his book. Naruto then pretended to be offended and charged at him. He came with amazing speed for a Genin and Kakashi was a little shocked at first.

"_Hmm, another surprise from my trio. This speed is definitely above average. He's still no match for me but he has some potential."_ Kakashi pondered while dodging Naruto's attacks.

He still managed to keep the book in his hand though despite Naruto's best efforts. Meanwhile Sasuke did notice Naruto's attacks and began to analyze them. He was sitting off to their left in the tree line waiting for a chance to strike.

Sakura took note of Sasuke's position and adjusted her attack plan accordingly. Naruto's clone was steering Kakashi as best at it could towards the spot he wanted. Suddenly another clone jumped out of the ground completely shocking Kakashi.

"_Whoa! Shadow clones at his age? I have to get serious now." _Kakashi thought as he placed his book into his pouch.

Just then 2 more shadow clones jumped at him from above and to the right steering him towards Sasuke's position. Kakashi stabbed 3 of the clones out of existence and then turned towards the last one. Sakura sprung into action at that moment. She launched a barrage of kunai and shuriken at her sensei in a pattern to steer him into Sasuke's range. Kakashi was caught off guard by her attack and had to dodge rather then deflect the incoming objects.

"_Hmm, these 2 are working well together. It seems they got the premise. I wonder if the brooder got it?"_ he thought.

As he was just about in Sasuke's range, 3 Naruto's attacked from all sides and grabbed Kakashi pinning him down.

Sasuke saw his opening and attacked with his Grad Fireball jutsu. He didn't appear to care that his teammate was still in range of his attack. The fireball rapidly advanced on their position and Sakura's eyes grew wide with fear and she saw Naruto firmly grasping Kakashi-sensei and holding him in place so that he can't avoid the attack. She watched in horror as the fire engulfed them both.

"Naruto!" she screamed out.

Sasuke emerged from his hiding place ignoring the screaming girl from the other side of the field to try and find his sensei's body or bells in order to pass his test. He found neither though. All he saw was a severely burned body of Naruto lying on the ground.

"_Stupid dobe. Told him not to get in my way." _He thought while still searching for Kakashi-sensei.

Suddenly, Naruto's body poofed into a log and Sasuke's ankles were grabbed from underground. He was pulled down to his neck. Kakashi then appeared above him.

"Well it seems you three didn't get the bell in time. You also failed to realize the premise of this test." He stated while sighing. He was referring more towards Sasuke then the other 2.

Sasuke looked very pissed off and struggled to get out of the hole. Sakura appeared in front of Kakashi with a distraught look on her. She saw that Naruto's body was a fake but where was he.

"Sensei, what happened to Naruto?" She asked trying not to let the panic she felt seep into her voice.

Kakashi caught a little bit of it though. _"Since when did she care for Naruto so much? I thought she was a Sasuke fangirl." _

"Naruto is right over there." He pointed across the field where Naruto had been hiding for a few minutes apparently trying to come up with another plan of attack.

Sakura's heart soared at the sight of him. Her resolve was pretty low at the moment from the shock of seeing him burned to a crisp. She accidentally ran up to him and wrapped him in a hug.

Naruto was completely caught off guard by this but pleasantly surprised. As his facial features adjusted from shock to happiness he began to explain to her what happened.

"It's ok, Sakura-Chan. Remember that was part of the plan. We steer Kakashi-sensei towards Sasuke and Sasuke would attack him with a big attack. I switched with a kage bushin at the last second so I wouldn't be destroyed." He stated as if it was plain as day.

She couldn't believe how she let her emotions get the best of her. Here she was hugging Naruto, her love, in front of her sensei and that prick showing her true feelings for him. She switched quickly to avoid any others coming by and noticing her overt actions.

"Baka! You had me worried!" She shouted with genuine concern in her voice as she slugged him on the top of his head with her usual strength.

"Thanks, Sakura-Chan. Didn't know you cared." He said to her as he gave her a wink and a grin while rubbing his head.

She quickly turned to avoid changing colors or at least having anyone notice it. Slowly she regained her composure and turned to her sensei who was finishing up securing the Uchiha to a log.

"Since Sakura and Naruto somewhat got the message, they will receive the food. We will try this again after lunch. Under no circumstances are you to feed Sasuke or else you all will face my wrath." He threatened before poofing off somewhere.

Once he was gone, Naruto and Sakura dug into their bentos. Sasuke tried to look as indignant as possible but his stomach was growling loudly. Naruto sighed.

"Sasuke, why didn't you try to help us when we were fighting Kakashi-sensei? Surely you realized one on one we didn't stand a chance." He started to explain.

"I told you. I don't need your help. I'll figure it out on my own." He tried to keep his stuck up tone but his hunger was overriding his normal arrogance. Sakura also sighed.

"Sasuke, I told you at the beginning that something didn't seem right about this test. Naruto and I figured it out. There are 3 of us and only 2 bells in order to try and divide us amongst ourselves and get us to avoid teamwork." She elaborated.

"So. What does that have to do with anything?" Sasuke again tried to sound egotistical but came off confused instead. Naruto chimed in.

"Think about all the teams in Konoha. How many members are on them? Every single one of them has 3 members. So why would our sensei give us a test that focused on individual talents above teamwork? He wouldn't. It was to get us to overcome our differences and focus on the team goal. We need to work as a team in order to have a chance of beating him." Naruto summarized for Sasuke.

It seemed it was getting through to Sasuke as he had a look of almost shame for not realizing it earlier. He still looked resentful though since it was Naruto-dobe that was telling him the obvious facts that he couldn't figure out.

Sakura loved the look on his face and loved the even more triumphant look Naruto had on his. It wasn't arrogant or cocky. He was a look that he had gotten his message across to his teammate and was genuinely happy. She couldn't believe how smart he truly was. Before today she figured he was about average intelligence but the wisdom he was showing and the foresight he had in planning was remarkable and it only made her love him that much more.

"_Sakura, you sure know how to pick 'em all right."_ She giggled to her Inner self.

Naruto was satisfied with Sasuke's understanding and handed him his food.

"Eat up. You're going to need your strength if we are to have a chance at beating Kakashi-sensei."

Sasuke was shocked but then remembered their sensei's warning.

"You dobe. If he finds out then we all fail. I can't take this." He tried to ignore his stomach growling.

"Yea if he finds out. We are ninja though. We need to take risks and focus on our task at hand. You being energy depleted does us no good. So eat up. We _could_ fail if he finds us but we _will_ fail if you're not at full strength."

He eliminated any more resistance in Sasuke's mind. Sakura also handed him her food since she knew he hadn't eaten all morning and would need every ounce he could get. She still wasn't in the right mindset to pretend to like him at the moment though. She figured that if anyone noticed she could blame it on stress.

Suddenly in a clash of thunder, Kakashi appeared.

"I WARNED YOU NOT TO FEED HIM! YOU HAVE DISOBEYED ME AND NOW YOU WILL FACE JUDGEMENT!" He roared at the 3 scared genin.

"YOU ALL…. pass."

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief having momentarily thought that Naruto and her assessment was wrong.

"Naruto, that was an excellent explanation of the test's true nature. I'm proud that you picked up on it so well." He eye smiled at Naruto who beamed back a huge foxy grin.

Sakura smiled openly at the pride she herself was feeling for him. She was happy that he was happy. That's all that mattered. Accolades for herself weren't needed when she could see that he was ecstatic at the compliment Kakashi-sensei gave him.

Kakashi finished up his explanation of the test and then told them they were official Genin of Konoha. He then dismissed them for the day.

Naruto walked over to Sakura, now returning to his goofy façade.

"So Sakura-Chan, what time shall I pick you up for our da-, …er… umm… something to eat!" Naruto stammered as he didn't want to get hit again for calling the outing a date.

Sakura giggled mentally at his antics. Outside she kept an even composure though.

"Well I guess around 7 or so sounds good. I have to get a shower and relax after today's events." She said trying to act as disinterested as possible.

"Sounds GREAT!" He proclaimed obviously overjoyed at her not denying it and more importantly not hitting him.

"See ya then, Sakura-Chan!" He then ran off towards presumably his apartment.

Sakura watched him go and couldn't hold in the immense feeling of delight she felt swelling inside her.

"**We're going on a date with Naruto-kun!!! WOOT!"** Inner Sakura declared as she was looking for clothes to wear despite the ridiculousness of changing clothes in one's mindscape.

Sakura giggled all the way home at realized that today turned out to be good after all.

"Can't wait, Naruto-kun," she whispered to herself.

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Well another chapter down. That was a long one for me anyway. 5000 words. It took me about 4 hours of straight writing to complete. I'm always amazed that I can come up with a 21 page story in about 12 hours or so, but struggle to right a 5 page research paper for a class.

Oh well, Please remember to read and review. I love reviews. They make my heart soar. Even if they tell me I suck, I still love them. It means that some one was interested enough to take the time to type their feelings out instead of merely keeping them bottled inside and walking away.

Next chapter hopefully later this week.


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry for the delay, everyone. This past week was busy as all hell. School, work, papers, projects, etc. I won't bore you with the details. Just believe me when I say Sunday was the first chance I got to get any writing time. I started writing this chapter on Sunday night at about 11:30pm and went till 2am. I picked it up again Monday night at about 10pm and I'm just posting it now at 1:30am.

I feel pretty good about this chapter as it sets up some conflict. Can't have a story without conflict right? I won't bore you by going into detail in the author notes. That's what you read the story for. Well hopefully not to get bored... you know what I mean, damn it.

Once again, thanks to all the fabulous reviews, favs, alerts, etc I've gotten. I'm well over 5000 hits on the story in only a little over a week's time and I have over 1000 hits on each chapter at least. So thank you all for the interest. Without further delay, on with the story.

Disclaimer: If I managed to create an exact duplicate world out of paper-mache and then transferred every living person over to it, I might be able to convince people I own Naruto then. Since that is a ridiculous idea, **I don't own Naruto**. Note: I did create an OC (Amai) in this chapter and I reserve the right on her appearance and personality however insignificant it may be.

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Girls Are Weird

Chapter 5

Sakura's afternoon was dragging ever since the test had ended around noon. She spent most of the day trying to keep her mind occupied and not thinking of her date with Naruto. She tried to pass the time with busy work like cleaning the dishes and tidying up around the house but it was no use. Every little thing reminded her of Naruto and she would be overcome with giddiness.

Eventually, time did pass. It was about 6 by that point, so she figured she should start getting ready for the date. She didn't want to look over dressed in order to avoid suspicion but at the same time she wanted to look nice for him. She wandered through her closet searching for the perfect outfit to wear. By the time she found one, it was 6:30 and she realized she'd have to quickly get a shower and get ready before he arrived at 7.

It was at this point that the phone rang. Any other time, she'd be delighted to have the distraction of a phone conversation but right at this moment it was an annoyance in every meaning of the word.

"Hello?" she said into the receiver.

"Hi, Sakura! How ya doing?" Ino excitedly responded through the earpiece.

"_Ah crap! Just who I didn't want to talk to right now."_ Thought Sakura.

"Hey, Ino-Pig. What's up?" Sakura casually responded realizing that if she simply dismissed Ino, she would know something was up.

She hoped Ino would have something quick to say and then leave an opening for her to end the conversation quickly. If she could avoid talk of Naruto altogether, that would be a plus. This was Ino though. 'Short' and 'phone conversation' don't go in the same sentence with her.

"Not much, forehead. Today was crazy what with our Genin test and all. We passed of course cause I'm just that good." Ino bragged and Sakura could just picture her tongue sticking out at the phone.

Slightly annoyed, Sakura wanted to get a jab in at her.

"Oh I'm sure! That lazy genius on your team probably figured out the problem himself and you went along for the ride." Not wanting Ino to get too big a head.

She could hear a huff from the other end of the phone. Sakura smirked at the image of Ino she now had.

"Well how did you do, forehead? I'll bet Sasuke-kun carried you and that dobe along for the ride. I mean you were probably too busy drooling all over him and Naruto probably sat there with a finger in his ear wondering where he was or something. You two probably just made it twice as hard for Sasuke-kun to pass the test." Ino responded clearly trying to get a rise out of her friend.

She got one but not the one she intended. Upon hearing Ino insult her by saying that she drooled over the Uchiha bastard instead of performing as a kunoichi would, she got mad. When Ino then insulted her Naruto, she lost it. If it wasn't for the fact that she had be focusing her whole afternoon on what her and Naruto would be doing later, she might have remained calm and focused on ignoring the insults at his expense. As it stood at that moment, all she heard was someone insult the man she loved and it enraged her.

"For your information, INO-PIG, we passed with flying colors thanks to the quick thinking and strategy of Naruto-kun and myself with no help from Sasuke at all." She screamed into the phone in a blind rage.

Suddenly she realized exactly what she said. A cold sweat broke out on her face and she froze with the phone dangling in her hand ready to fall to the ground at any slight flinch she would make. God she screwed up. She screwed up royal. How will she spin this one away without making Ino curious?

"Naruto-_kun_? Did I just hear you right Sakura?" A clearly dumbfounded Ino spoke into the phone.

"_SHIT!"_ Sakura screamed in her mind.

"Ummm…well I mean…you see…well you just set me off there when you insulted my teammate. Kakashi-sensei spoke about defending teammates to the death and all and so my instincts just kicked in to defend him when you insulted him and all so I referred to him with kun to merely emphasize that you shouldn't mess with my teammate." Sakura stammered out the explanation hoping Ino would buy it even if she didn't herself.

"Oooookaaay. That still doesn't explain why you badmouthed Sasuke-kun like that. You said he was no help at all?" Ino easily countered Sakura's weak explanation.

"_Crap, crap, crap! Just drop it already, pig."_ Sakura pleaded in her mind.

Realizing she was just about cornered she might as well come out with a partial explanation. Then a solution hit her. If she could convince Ino that this was merely a trick to get her to stop chasing Sasuke then she would back off the Naruto-kun thing. She would have to be subtle though and make it seem like Ino thought of it.

"Well, Ino, the thing is that I'm beginning to realize that Sasuke isn't all he's cracked up to be. He isn't that strong. He's a jerk to everyone and he's arrogant as all hell" Sakura spoke truthfully about her feelings for the Uchiha boy but figured Ino wouldn't buy the 180 she was making in her feelings overnight.

"In fact, I might just stop chasing him altogether." She continued.

She heard a gasp on the other side of the phone and then a few minutes of silence. She hoped it was Ino's mind thinking up scenarios for Sakura's sudden change in boy preferences and call her on the 'lie' she was making. Her hopes were proven correct.

"I see what you're doing, forehead. You must think I'm pretty dumb to fall for that." Ino responded mockingly.

Sakura smiled seeing as she took the bait.

"Fall for what, Ino? I'm merely telling the truth. I don't want Sasuke-ku…err…san anymore." Sakura added the false mispronunciation at the end for added affect.

"Ha! Who are you trying to fool, Sakura? You're with him all day long now so you think that by making him appear unappealing, you'll scare off any challengers. Well fat chance, sister. I'm redoubling my efforts to win him now. Be prepared, forehead." Ino confidently exclaimed through the phone.

Sakura tried to hold in the laughter that was about to burst from her mouth. This was going too well.

"Guess I can't fool you, eh pig. Just don't get your hopes up seeing as you have no shot now." She said trying to sound confrontational but was barely able to contain the aforementioned laughter.

"We'll see, Forehead girl! I might just go find him right now. See you later, Sakura!" Ino hurriedly hung up the phone presumably to run off and find the brooding Uchiha.

Sakura couldn't hold it in any longer. She fell to her bedroom floor and rolled around laughing for a good 5 minutes before she settled down. She certainly had a knack for acting. If she ever failed as a ninja, she had a promising future as a movie star she figured.

Coming back from her daydreams, she realized it was now 6:50 after her talk with Ino. That meant Naruto was coming in 10 minutes! She really had to move now. Girls like to make guys wait but she didn't want him to wait THAT long. She got her shower as fast as she could and saw that it was now 6:58.

"_Damn! He'll be here any minute. Better warn my mom he's coming so he's not standing outside like an idiot."_ Sakura thought.

Sakura headed downstairs still in her towel to tell her mom.

"Hey mom! Just wanted to let you know, one of my teammates is coming over and…" Sakura froze as she came down the steps.

Her mom had answered the door and already let Naruto in. She couldn't help but stare at how handsome he looked in casual clothes. He wore a button down, short sleeve shirt that had a simple, stripe pattern on it with a black t-shirt underneath. He then had khaki slacks that were loose fitting but complimented his shirt nicely. His forehead protector was wrapped around his arm so his hair flowed freely with wild, untamed golden locks moving whatever way they wished. He was damn gorgeous if she did say so herself. She would have to reevaluate her outfit if she wanted to match up with his appearance.

Naruto gazed up in her direction and quickly went red and turned his head away. Sakura's mom turned around towards her daughter and then giggled at the boy's reaction. It was right then that Sakura remembered she was still wearing a towel.

"EEEK!" Sakura screeched and quickly turned up the stairs towards her room.

Back in the safety of her room, Sakura took in what just happened. Her love, Naruto, just saw her in a towel. He probably got a better view too since she was on the stairs and he was down on the ground. Those thoughts began to lead to a dirtier course in Sakura's mind and she had to shake her head furiously to get rid of this line of thinking.

Satisfied that her mind was focused again, she set out looking for a better outfit to match Naruto's good looks. She said it wasn't a date. She hadn't planned on it being anything more than just teammates getting food despite all her wants but he looked too damn good to let this opportunity pass her by.

If she could get him to fall for her, then worrying about Ino, Hinata or any other girl didn't mean anything. That of course was the plan. The rest of her actions were more distractions to keep the vultures away. If she could secure her man, then competition would be damned.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at her door.

"Sakura, honey? You alright?" Sakura's mom asked through the closed door.

"Yes mom, tell him I'll be down in a minute."

Sakura's mom then came into her room. Sakura turned around and displayed some mock displeasure. She didn't really care if her mom saw her naked or came into her room but she didn't want to just let it go.

"Mom! I'm trying to get dressed." She said in her best whiny, teenage voice.

"Oh sorry, honey. You didn't tell me you had a date tonight." Her mom asked with sheer delight in her voice.

"It's not a date mom. He's merely a teammate. We're going to eat after our long day today and work on teamwork and stuff." Sakura tried to explain to her mom.

You can't fool a mother though. They are the ones that know their children's moods and quirks the best.

"Oh that's too bad. He really is a cutey isn't he?" Sakura's mom teased her daughter.

Sakura blushed and had a smile on her face as the image of Naruto as he walked in her door moments ago flashed into her mind again. Sakura's mom noticed and her grin grew bigger.

"My that is quite a reaction for 'just a teammate'." Mrs. Haruno pried a little more into her mind.

Sakura turned even more red at her mom's words and then sighed. She could fool everyone else but there was no getting around her mom. No matter how good an actress she was, a good mom always knows what their child is really thinking even if they don't let on that they do.

She realized that having one person to confide in about her biggest secret might not be that bad. She could trust her mom and she just had to let someone know. It was like a dam about to burst inside of her with all this secrecy she was undergoing for so long.

"Mom, if I tell you a secret, can I trust you not to tell ANYONE?" Sakura began.

"Of course, honey. What kind of mom would I be if I didn't keep my daughter's secrets?" The elder Haruno responded.

"Well, that boy, his name is Naruto and I've liked him for a long time. I _really_ like him." She emphasized at the end to drive the point home to her mom.

Her mom smiled at her knowingly having experienced many a crush when she was her daughter's age.

"And what happened to Sasuke-_kun_?" Her mom jibed Sakura knowing full well that Sasuke was never the object of her affection.

"Bleh. I never liked that arrogant jerk. That was a ploy I used to keep the other girls from realizing that Naruto was so great. If I started liking him, than other girls would want to know what he's all about." Sakura said explaining her actions to her mom.

"I understand, honey. Just don't play too hard to get. You might let him slip away to one of those other girls if they show any interest." Her mother sagely commented.

"Don't worry, mom. I have it all planned out. Besides, if you knew how stubborn he really was, then you'd realize that he'll stop at nothing to get me to like him. After all his dream is to be the Hokage. I don't think anyone with a weak resolve will ever achieve that goal." Sakura clarified to her mother.

"I see, honey. Just don't be surprised if other girls take notice to him. He is very handsome after all. If I was your age again, I can just imagine all the things I'd do with him." Sakura's mom gave a wink to her daughter.

"Mom! That is just too wrong to think about my mother and the boy I love in that way." Sakura trying to shake her mind of the image her mom placed in her head.

"Ah so you love him now? I thought it was only _really_ like?" Sakura's mom got in another parting shot before she gave her daughter a motherly look of concern.

"Sakura, honey. I'm serious when I say don't play too hard to get. I remember being that age and girls can be very tricky when it comes to getting a handsome boy. If you don't let him know soon how you feel, he might think you don't care about him. I've known for a while that you've had a crush on this boy. I've also noticed the way you treat him in public. Just go with your heart, Sakura and let it guide you. If you truly love this boy, then let him know. You don't have to come out and say it but just give him some hints to let him know you care." Mrs. Haruno offered her learned knowledge from years of experience to her daughter.

Sakura smiled at her mom and was truly grateful for her advice.

"Thanks mom. You bet. I'll make sure he knows my true feelings soon. I just have to make sure I know his true feelings first." Sakura responded to her mom.

They hugged each other and then Mrs. Haruno told her daughter to hurry up in order to not keep her 'date' waiting.

It was about 20 minutes later (record time for a girl to find an outfit and get ready to go out) when Sakura descended her staircase to the living room. She was wearing a tight, black top with a red undershirt that came down her neckline. This accented her white skirt that modestly came to just above her knee. Fashionable sandals with a cute flower design gracefully highlighted her dainty feet. Finally, her leaf protector was replaced by a red ribbon in her hair, allowing her natural pink to glow from the contrast.

She caught Naruto's gaze as she walked down and was supremely satisfied with the look he gave her. Naruto stood there with his jaw hanging open and his eyes fixated directly on her. After a few minutes, he recovered from his blissful stupor and spoke to Sakura.

"You look…wow!" Naruto intelligently stammered out.

Sakura couldn't help but blush at his reaction. Once again, she figured no one is here but her mom so it wouldn't hurt her plans at all to show her feelings a little.

"Thanks, Naruto. You look very nice yourself." Sakura managed to get out without turning into a stuttering fool.

Naruto finally regained his composure and put on his typical grin.

"So, where you wanna to go, Sakura-Chan?" He asked.

"I'm not sure. You have any place in mind?" She asked expecting only one ramen-related answer from him.

"Well, I know you're not as big a ramen nut as I am, so how bout we go to a nice restaurant instead of Ichiraku? You could order something you like there and I'll eat steak or a burger or something." Naruto offered while scratching the back of his head nervously.

Sakura was touched at his gesture. He was always thinking of others before himself. The fact that he put her above ramen was a remarkable feat. She was beginning to see that his feelings were indeed genuine for her. She just had to think of the right way to let him know the way she felt about him.

"That's very thoughtful, Naruto. You can be so sweet sometimes." She responded honestly.

Sakura was happy at the genuine smile that crossed his face. He looked like he was just told he won the lottery with the gaze he gave her. She was elated that she caused this expression.

"Yea well, we better get going, Sakura-Chan. I'm starving. Let's go celebrate our official entry into the world of shinobi!" Naruto cheerfully exclaimed.

With that, Naruto and Sakura left her house and walked down the street towards the local restaurant that Naruto had in mind. Sakura walked by his side as a normal teammate would but she desperately wanted to grab his arm and lean her head on his shoulder.

"_Soon enough."_ She thought.

They passed by several restaurants along the way and Sakura was wondering where exactly this place was. The glares that the hostess' from these eateries gave Naruto didn't give her any regrets for missing out on their cuisine. Wherever Naruto was taking them, she knew he probably felt comfortable there.

She obviously realized early on that the villagers didn't like Naruto very much for some reason. She never attempted to find out why. Whatever the reason was it didn't matter much to her. There was nothing that Naruto could have done that would have diminished his greatness in her eyes. So she simply ignored the negative energy they would try to send his way.

They were coming up on a quaint little restaurant with a simple awning and a friendly glow coming from within. Naruto was walking directly towards the establishment, so she concluded that this must be the place.

"Here we are, Sakura-Chan. I think you'll like this place." Naruto said.

She did like the atmosphere that was emanating from the bistro. It was a decent size but just small enough to feel cozy like a family dining room. The waiters and waitresses all greeted the patrons with courteous smiles and seemed very helpful in their mannerisms. The hostess was a younger girl, probably around 16 or 17. She was blonde with a stylish haircut and a fashionable look about her. Sakura noticed that the she greeted Naruto with a joyful smile like she was meeting up with an old friend.

"Welcome back, Naruto-kun." The hostess greeted the blonde genin.

"_Naruto-kun? Who is she and why is she so familiar with MY Naruto-kun?"_ Sakura fumed inside.

"**Yea! That skanky bitch better take a step back if she knows what's good for her!"** Inner Sakura raged.

"Hi, Amai-Neechan. How's business been?" Naruto responded.

"_Neechan? Phew, that solves that problem."_ Sakura now relieved of the jealous tension that was building up in her.

"It's been good. Father is so happy at the patronage we've been getting in the few short months we've been here. I'm sure your good word to the Hokage probably had some doing with that." She said winking at him.

"Yea well, the old man liked what I had to say about the food and tried it out himself. I guess he told every shinobi in the village about the place after that. Your dad must've made the same impression on him that you did on me." Naruto laughed while answering her.

"It's true that most of our customers have been shinobi. We get very few civilians but the sheer number of shinobi that come in more than makes up for it. Father couldn't be happier." She cheerfully exclaimed.

"Well that's great to hear. Anyway, Sakura-Chan and I would like to get some of that great food your dad cooks up." Naruto responded getting back on topic.

"Oh, Naruto-kun brought a cute, little date this time?" She smiled at the now blushing Sakura.

Naruto quickly intervened, probably for fear of Sakura's wrath.

"No, no! Not a date! She's my teammate. We're hear to celebrate us becoming genin today." Naruto corrected Amai.

Sakura felt a little pained by his response but she understood he was doing it to avoid offending her. She sighed inwardly wanting so bad to end the charade.

"_Very soon."_ She hoped to herself.

"Aww, that's too bad. She's really cute. You two would make an adorable couple." Amai grinned as she watched the reaction she caused in both teens.

Naruto and Sakura looked straight down, their faces as red as the sauce that covered some of the pasta dishes the restaurant served.

"Neechan! Could you please just give us a table?" Naruto responded very annoyed at her teasing.

Amai grinned at her handy work and then got back to her duties.

"Sure thing, Naruto-kun. Would you like a seat near the other genin groups? I assume they are hear celebrating as well." She gestured towards one side of the restaurant where Team 10 and Team 8 were sitting enjoying each other's company with their sensei.

Sakura specifically noted Hinata's presence but was somewhat relieved to see Ino absent. This didn't alleviate all of the apprehension she was feeling though.

"_Crap! I didn't expect them to be here."_ Sakura thought.

Before Naruto could respond, Sakura jumped in.

"How about we eat over here, Naruto? I kind of wanted to speak about our team some without being interrupted." She offered trying her best not to sound too pleading.

Amai noticed the look in her eyes though and smiled. She could see that Sakura didn't want anyone getting between her and her 'date' despite what she said.

"Sure thing, Sakura-Chan. How about it, Amai-Neechan? Anything on this side?" Naruto questioned.

"You bet, kiddo. Follow me." She said as she grabbed two menus and motioned for the two teens to trail her.

Sakura hoped that she could avoid being seen by the other teams, especially Hinata before they reached their table. She didn't venture a glance in their direction though for fear of catching their attention.

Luckily they made it to their table unnoticed. At least she figured they were unnoticed since she didn't hear anyone call out her or Naruto's name from across the room. At this thought, she began to settle down and stared across the table at the boy she loved.

"_He is just too damn, adorable."_ Sakura romanticized in her mind as she gazed into his shimmering sapphire eyes.

Naruto also seemed to be in a daze as he fixed his eyes on her emerald orbs. The smile he adorned on his face seemed to radiate happiness like a fire generates heat.

At that moment, Sakura couldn't have been happier and she allowed herself to have a genuine smile for him.

"This is a nice place, Naruto. I'm glad you took me here."

"No problem, Sakura-Chan. So what are you going to get to eat?" Naruto responded trying to hide the blush that was rising on his face again.

Sakura was about to respond when she caught two people entering the restaurant that she did not want to see. She quickly put her menu up in front of her face in order to avoid them noticing her.

"_Kami, Damn it! Can't I get just one break?"_ Sakura cursed to herself.

Naruto noticed her change in behavior and turned to see what the problem was. At the front of the restaurant being greeted by Amai was Ino and Sasuke waiting to be seated.

Sakura chanced a glance in their direction in order to see where they would be seated. Thankfully, Amai took them to the other side of the restaurant where the other teams were seated. She relaxed a bit at this and then turned to Naruto. The look on his face pained her. A happy grin was now replaced by a saddened expression. It was as if he just realized something painful but he then quickly tried to cover it up with a grin. This wasn't the one she had just seen on his face moments ago. This one was forced like he was trying to hold back a wave of sorrow.

"_Oh no! What happened? Why is he so sad?"_ Sakura panicked inwardly.

"What's wrong, Naruto?"

"Ah it's nothing." He tried to play it off in an unconvincing manner.

"It's not 'nothing.' Something is bothering you. Please tell me. I'm your teammate after all. We can trust each other." She responded in a pleading tone trying her best not to sound desperate.

"Well, it's just that the look you had just now when Sasuke and Ino walked in. I figured you didn't want to be seen with me, like it was embarrassing or something." He sorrowfully replied.

Sakura could tell that this was a defense mechanism for him. Years of mental anguish for no reason by random people probably taught him to be cautious of anyone who might show him kindness. She had to dispel those fears.

"Now why would I be embarrassed to be seen with you, baka?" She began.

Naruto perked up and gave a confused look at her.

"Well I figured you didn't want Sasuke and Ino to see you sitting with the dobe of the class all by ourselves. Might give the wrong idea ya' know." He responded sounding a little smug but clearly letting his personal insecurities shine through.

She figured that the time was now or never to come out with her feelings. She sighed and then began to formulate her thoughts into words.

"Naruto, I just want to let you know that to me, you are very…" Sakura suddenly stopped as she noticed someone approaching the table.

"Oh. H-hello, N-Naruto-kun. Sakura-san. How a-are you two d-doing this evening?" Hinata greeted her two fellow genin.

Sakura cursed her luck. Here she was about to finally confess to her love the feelings that she had been harboring for over 6 years and she had to be interrupted once again.

"Hello, Hinata. We're doing fine. We just came to celebrate passing the genin test." Naruto replied.

"Oh. T-that's good to hear. We als-so came to celebrate. W-why are you two off b-by yourselves, t-though? I saw Sasuke-san over t-there with Ino-san and the rest. Are you on a d-date?" Hinata choked out.

She seemed to be hoping to the contrary rather than inquiring nonchalantly. Naruto quickly responded with his hands waving in front of his body.

"No, no. Hinata. We're just hear celebrating as teammates is all." He smiled sheepishly and glanced at Sakura apparently hoping she wasn't offended.

Sakura again felt like she had been physically struck. She was so close to admitting her feelings and ending the charade when fate intervened. She did her best not to growl at Hinata but still had a decent glare aimed at the girl. She didn't bother responding to Naruto's comment, neither confirming nor denying his words.

"Oh well that's good t-to h-hear. Would y-you two like to j-join us in our celebration? Y-you're more than w-welcome to." Hinata politely offered.

"Sure why not? If it's ok with you, Sakura-Chan." Naruto glanced over at his teammate with a questioning gaze asking her opinion.

Sakura was stuck now. If a girl thought logically about relationships as they do for math or science, then this problem would be simple. Unfortunately, that isn't reality. Sakura's mind was turning the gears and weighing her options. She wanted to stay alone with Naruto but feared that that would appear too forward and tip off Hinata and Ino to her plans. She figured going to the group would save that possibility but then leave Naruto open to their advances. Hinata was definitely in the game and Ino would be once she got a feel for the situation. Sakura knew that's the way Ino plays. She could only hope that Ino wouldn't notice and that Hinata's shyness would override any attempts she would make towards Naruto's affection.

"_Damn it! This is so frustrating! Why couldn't they just leave us alone?"_ Sakura whined inside.

She came to the decision that any advances those two made on Naruto, she could counter since Sakura would spend a majority of her time with her blonde, dream boy. So for appearance sake, she opted to join the rest. She did offer a qualifier to let Naruto off the hook if he so chose.

"If that's what you want to do Naruto, then we can go join them." Sakura offered.

"Sure thing. It'll be fun celebrating with everyone, even Sasuke-teme." Naruto responded completely missing her escape clause.

Sakura sighed.

"_Well, all's fair in love and war, I suppose."_ Sakura pondered to herself.

Sakura propped herself up and got her game face on. She was going to need it for the battle that lay ahead.

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Another chapter down. Sorry about where I left it. I felt that since its 1:30am right now, I couldn't properly do the upcoming scene justice while half asleep. Hopefully tomorrow the ideas will flow better and I'll crank out the conclusion of the 'date.'

Don't forget that every time you leave a review a kitten purrs adorably in your general direction. Well not really, but I do like it when you leave reviews. Even if you hate me. Still lets me know where I stand and what I need to improve on. Thanks to all those that do.

**Bonus: Anyone that can tell me the name of the Cartoon Show that I took the obscure reference I made in my disclaimer will get special props in my next chapter's author notes.**


	6. Chapter 6

Finally. Took me a bit to piece this one together. Not totally how I wanted it but I'm pretty happy at how it turned out. Yes the pace is slow being as we've only gotten through about 2 days so far but truly the time factor is irrelavant in this story as I don't plan on doing a "Naruto rewrite" fanfic. This is just the story about how Sakura is going to get Naruto to love her.

A couple of things to note. This chapter is when some OOC moments will occur for Hinata. Be prepared. Also, a few people asked why Sakura's mom didn't hate Naruto for being the Kyuubi container. My explanation to best suit my needs is that she is one of the few adults to consider him a hero rather than a demon.

Onto acknowledging those who amazingly got the obscure reference I made in my previous disclaimer. Pinky and the Brain was the cartoon. I got it from and the first reviewer to post after the update as well as 3 others. Echizen Ryoma-san, FreeTheKyuubi, Requateer and yuugaoambu all correctly answered the question. They all receive a completely free (and completely figurative) Dr. Pepper from me. Just don't try to steal Echizen's. The result won't be pretty. ;-)

Without further ado, the moment you've all been waiting for. THE DISCLAIMER! (Ha yea right, but here it is anyway.)

Disclaimer: If had a freakishly large brain that I used to create a reality where I won at trivia games at a local bar for bar dollars, despite my acne and grass for hair, I'd be able to make it so I owned Naruto. Since that also is not the case, **I don't own Naruto**.

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Girls Are Weird

Chapter 6

Hinata led Naruto and Sakura across the restaurant, back to where the newly dubbed 'Rookie 9' were celebrating their promotions with their senseis. Sakura noticed that everyone was enjoying their time together in different ways.

Kiba and Akumaru were busy chowing down on steaks that were generously described as rare _done_.

Shino was enjoying a soft drink with what looked like some kind of club sandwich.

Chouji had several empty plates around his area while continuing to stuff his face full of sirloin tips, mashed potatoes, baked beans and any other unfortunate food substance that came within the range of his arms.

Shikamaru glanced over at his friend and chuckled lightly at his eating habits while he nursed at a salad that he ordered.

Asuma-sensei and Kurenai-Sensei were conversing with each other on what must have been a pleasant topic judging by the smile on Kurenai's face that accompanied the girlish giggles she was emitting.

Sakura then noticed that Ino was draped over Sasuke's shoulder giving him a fan girl gaze of adoration. Sasuke seemed to at least be attempting to tolerate her presence even though it seemed he was on the brink of getting up and leaving.

The scene was a pleasant one that Sakura would normally enjoy if not for her current motives. She had just been interrupted at her moment of confession to Naruto about her true feelings for him. She once again silently cursed her luck and then gathered all the composure she could muster. So now here she stood next to Naruto, preparing for the worst from their guide, Hinata, and a certain blonde fan girl.

"H-hey everyone. Naruto-kun and Sakura-san were here as w-well and would like to j-join in on the celebration." Hinata explained to the group.

They all looked up and then noticed the two newcomers at the table. The majority of them smiled and motioned for them to join in.

Shino and Shikamaru merely nodded and went back to what they were doing.

Sasuke simply 'humph'ed and nodded at their arrival as a grudging sign of respect towards his new teammates.

Ino glanced up at them and was confused at first seeing Sakura and Naruto together. The confusion lasted only a second before Ino grabbed onto Sasuke's arm and stuck her tongue out at Sakura.

Hinata motioned for them to sit down. She guided Naruto down to the spot next to herself and left little room between the two of them.

"_Rather bold of her. She's playing hardball I suppose."_ Sakura analyzed in her mind.

Sakura not to be left out quickly took the other spot next to Naruto and got as close as she could without arousing suspicion.

"_Two can play at this game then."_ Sakura thought.

Ino curiously noted Sakura's close proximity to Naruto and the general manner in which she was acting.

Hinata also seemed to react to Sakura's movements and began to speak to Naruto while grabbing his arm and turning him towards herself.

"So Naruto-kun, how did you d-do today in your test?" She got out with a few less stutters.

"It was great, Hinata! Sakura-Chan, Sasuke-teme and myself all figured out Kakashi-sensei's hidden meaning behind the test and proceeded to pass with flying colors. It sure helps though when you have a great teammate like Sakura-Chan to help you sort out a battle plan." Naruto was recapping and then glanced over at Sakura and gave her a knowing smile.

Sakura couldn't help but blush at the compliment. It was a small blush but she didn't try to hide it. Figuring that she had to press her advantage now or never she began to speak.

"Naruto, you're being a little too modest. You were the one that came up with the battle plan. I mean Sasuke over there…"

"…Did an excellent job in his part of the plan. After all teme did get an attack in on Kakashi-sensei when he was distracted as we planned." Naruto cut in for some reason.

Sakura noticed that Naruto glanced at Sasuke's direction and gave him a grin. Sasuke merely smirked back at Naruto with a humble look on his face. Sakura realized that Sasuke seemed grateful that Naruto saved him from the embarrassment she was about to reveal about their test. Sakura couldn't believe the effect Naruto was having on the brooder. His earlier words must've broken through some part of his hard exterior and made him begin to realize the folly of his arrogance.

"_He is just too amazing! He has the ability to change people for the better with a few words of wisdom and small actions. Just when I think he couldn't be any more perfect, he shows yet another side to amplify his image."_ Sakura thought with adoration about her blonde dream boy.

"Well that's wonderful, N-Naruto-kun. I'm glad t-to hear that your team worked w-well together and that y-you came up with an excellent battle plan. I always knew y-you were very capable." Hinata chimed in.

"Thanks, Hinata! I appreciate it." Naruto thanked her with a large grin.

Her next moved surprised most people at the table. She wrapped her arms around Naruto and gave him a big hug of 'congratulations.' At first Naruto seemed startled but accepted it and gave one back.

Sakura had a few thoughts cross her mind by the suddenly uncharacteristic action. For starters, Hinata was barely blushing despite hugging Naruto. In fact she wasn't really blushing the whole time being right next to Naruto at the table. Then there was the move to have him sit right next to her in the first place. Normally Hinata would never be so bold. She still stuttered but something seemed a little forced about it.

Sakura simply decided that maybe Hinata was finally growing in confidence. This complicated matters but she would do her best to counter them.

"Still, Naruto, you were amazing out there today. I must say that you impressed me with the way you handled yourself. I'm glad to have you on my team." Sakura said honestly.

Naruto turned and faced Sakura with the biggest smile she had ever seen on his face. Her heart pounded in her chest.

"Thanks, Sakura-Chan. You have no idea how much that means to me. I'm ecstatic to have such great teammates." Naruto replied almost with a tear in his eye at the joy he was feeling.

Sakura couldn't help her next action seeing the look on his face. She reached out and gave him a hug as well. Naruto was shocked but pleasantly so at her embrace. He leaned in and hugged her back.

Sakura was overjoyed at this feeling of being in his strong arms. She never wanted to leave them. The sense of warmth and security that emanated from him was like a drug that she couldn't get enough of. This sense of euphoria caused her to be oblivious to the looks everyone was giving them around the table.

Shino and Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at the pair signifying their confusion at the sight.

Chouji stopped eating when he noticed his blonde, childhood friend was being hugged by one of Sasuke's biggest fan girls.

Kiba nearly choked on the piece of steak he was chewing at the display before him while Akumaru, being a dog, not understanding the big deal continued to inhale his own steak.

Sasuke gave his standard 'humph' not giving away the confusion he had over one of his fan girls hugging the dobe of the class.

Hinata flashed an annoyed look on her face that was quickly covered up with a blush and the poking of her fingers together.

Ino was now openly showing her confusion at her friend's actions. She of course being the second loudest blonde in all of Konoha had to voice her concerns.

"Ummm, Sakura? What are you doing?" Ino questioned her friend.

Sakura suddenly realized the position she was in and snapped to attention. She released Naruto rather quickly.

"Nothing, Pig. Mind your business." Sakura snapped back at Ino.

This of course drew more interest from the blonde kunoichi. Ino began to intently observe Sakura and Naruto's reactions. Her curiosity was great enough that she managed to let go of Sasuke's arm and completely ignore him for the time being. This caused Sasuke to let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding as he finally sat back and relaxed being free from his entanglement.

Sakura was about to resort to her usual fan-girlness for Sasuke to get Ino off her case about Naruto but then remembered her mother's words of wisdom.

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_"Sakura, honey. I'm serious when I say don't play too hard to get. I remember being that age and girls can be very tricky when it comes to getting a handsome boy. If you don't let him know soon how you feel, he might think you don't care about him." Mrs. Haruno sagely explained to her daughter._

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_"No. I can't resort to that now. Hinata is moving in too much. I'll just have to deal with Ino when the time comes. I can't lose my advantage because of that teme anymore."_ Sakura contemplated her situation.

"It doesn't seem like nothing, forehead." Ino grinned wickedly at her friend.

"Like I said, mind your business, pig. I don't need to explain myself to you." Sakura barked back.

While Sakura was arguing with her friend she barely heard something coming from the violet haired kunoichi to the left of Naruto.

"So Naruto-kun, what are you doing after this? Perhaps w-we could go for a w-walk or something?" Hinata whispered into Naruto's ear.

Sakura was now full blown suspicious of the supposedly shy girl. These actions didn't show shyness. She either had a personality transplant since yesterday or something was going on.

Sakura thought quickly. She acted like she was turning around to face Naruto but 'accidentally' knocked a drink right onto Hinata's lap.

"Oh, sorry Hinata! Here let me take you to the bathroom and help you get cleaned up." Sakura stated in a sweet apologetic voice.

"It's ok, Sakura-San. I can use some napkins h-here to clean it up." Hinata responded trying to cover up the annoyed gaze she was unconsciously giving Sakura.

Sakura wasn't letting her off that easy.

"Come on. I feel bad. Let me help you." Sakura nearly demanded this time.

Before Hinata could respond, Sakura grabbed her wrist and drug her to the women's restroom ignoring the shocked faces that adorned everyone at the table. Once they entered the privacy of the lavatory, Sakura spoke frankly to Hinata.

"Ok. What's your deal?" Sakura nearly spat out.

"What d-do you m-mean, Sakura-San?" Hinata replied.

"Cut the crap! You are super shy around everyone all the time, especially Naruto, then all of sudden tonight you miraculously grow confident enough to not only hug him but ask him out on date. So again, what's your deal?" Sakura stated bluntly.

"Well at least being a shy nice girl is better than being a mean bitch that bashes his head in all the time." Hinata responded without a single stutter.

Sakura was taken aback by Hinata's words but quickly regained her composure.

"So, you were just acting shy this whole time to win his affections." Sakura said.

"Yes. You didn't think a Hyuga was prone to acting in such a lowly manner. By acting shy, blushing and fainting around him all the time he at least knows that I'm interested in him. Then I can slowly pretend to work up courage enough to get him to go out with me. I've been at this for a few years now. I don't need you coming along and ruining my plans since you just discovered how great he is." Hinata violently clarified.

Sakura was stunned by the announcement of Hinata's own plan to win Naruto's affections. She wasn't about to let her shock hold her tongue though. Hinata wasn't the only one who knew how great Naruto was.

"What? I've known how great he was since I was 6. I've merely been trying to keep the vultures at bay with my hard to get strategy of pretending I don't care. By acting like an impossible goal, his stubborn nature will strive harder to get me. Slowly I act like he's breaking down my defenses and then make it seem like he's accomplished the impossible. That's way better than your 'please notice me while I faint' routine." Sakura spat back.

"Ha! You expect me to believe that with the way you've treated him all this time. Plus you fawn all over Sasuke every chance you get." Hinata shot back.

"That bastard was never the object of my affection. He was the decoy I used to keep the rest of the fan-girls like Ino-pig away from my Naruto-kun." Sakura replied.

"Yea Right! Just yesterday you jumped for joy when he was placed on your team…" Hinata said then seemingly thought for a moment. "…Unless that was for Naruto-kun being on your team?"

Hinata remembered the worried look that appeared on Sakura's face right after she made her proclamation in class. It appeared that realization came to Hinata about Sakura's true feelings. She stood there again a little timid but quickly showed a gaze of understanding towards Sakura. Sakura then spoke to her.

"That's right. I was hoping people didn't realize it was for Naruto-kun being on my team that I was so happy."

"So you really have liked him for that long?" Hinata asked still stunned at the revelation.

"Yes. Ever since I saw his raw determination as a child when he stood up to a crowd of angry villagers, I liked him and vowed to get him to like me. Over the years, the more things I noticed about him, the more my admiration grew into love. He just has so many levels of brilliance to him that most people don't know about. He's smarter than everyone realizes. He has this ability to change people for the better. He has amazing strength and power. Yet he is also gentle and kind. Everything about him to me is perfect. I love Naruto with all my heart and have for some time now." Sakura confidently explained her feelings even though it was to her current rival.

"So it seems I wasn't the only one who noticed him after all. I too have had these feelings about Naruto-kun for some time. I guess I was foolish to think others wouldn't notice him." Hinata responded.

"I wasn't so foolish. That's why I went to such drastic measures as pretending to like that bastard just to throw people off. I figured you were too shy to be a threat to me. I never thought that you also had a plan. Although yours seems a little… weird." Sakura continued her explanation.

"Ha! My plan is weird? At least mine didn't involve physically harming the person who you claim to love." Hinata retorted.

"Well at least I didn't rely on fainting whenever I got too close to him. I mean isn't the point to actually enjoy being near him?" Sakura came back with.

"You wouldn't understand the subtly and greatness of my plan. Compared to my elaborate scheme, your plan is rather childish." Hinata replied trying to sound smug apparently in order to annoy Sakura.

"So you are a Hyuga after all? You sure fooled me into thinking that you were a kind-hearted, innocent girl that merely noticed a great guy. Now I see that you're just as stuck up as the rest of your clan." Sakura attempted to get a rise out of Hinata.

Hinata had a look of shame in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-San. I didn't mean to act that way. It is not my true personality. I like to think that I am kind hearted like my mother but I sure didn't act that way just now. I'm obviously not the stuttering fool you see in class. I'm ashamed though that my jealousy of you has caused me to forget the example she gave me." Hinata responded apologetically.

This caught Sakura off guard. She wanted to get Hinata to act even more arrogant but now Sakura felt bad about trying to do so. Sakura guessed that Hinata really was the kind-hearted girl she saw in class. She just wasn't as shy as her outward appearance led to believe.

"No, I'm sorry, Hinata. I merely thought you were like all the other snobby clansmen and labeled you as such. I understand your jealousy very well. Anytime a girl talks to Naruto-kun, an angry feeling comes over me from out of nowhere. Jealousy makes people do weird things." Sakura replied.

"So, what do we do now?" Hinata questioned.

"I guess we have to compete for him. I warn you though, even though I want Naruto-kun to be happy, I won't give up on him without a hell of a fight." Sakura answered and laid down her challenge.

"Naruto-kun's happiness is my main objective as well but I would rather it be with myself at his side than you or anyone else. I too won't be defeated without a fight." Hinata calmly responded.

"So I suppose that makes us rivals." Sakura stated.

"Indeed it does." Hinata responded.

Sakura smiled at Hinata who reciprocated her gesture with a smile of her own. There was now a genuine understanding between the two girls that Naruto was worth fighting for. Sakura seemed to be somewhat relieved at letting someone else know her true feelings. She could only imagine the same feeling was crossing Hinata's mind as well.

"May the best girl win." Sakura declared.

"And that will be me!" Someone shouted from behind the two.

Sakura and Hinata both spun around to see the source of this newcomer. They both narrowed their eyes at the owner of the voice.

"Ino-Pig! How long have you been there?" Sakura growled at her blonde friend.

"Oh long enough to hear that there is more to the blonde knucklehead than I thought." Ino casually replied.

"You don't even like Naruto-kun, Ino-san. Why are you going to interfere?" Hinata interjected.

"Well, I do now. You guys made some pretty convincing arguments for him. Plus you know I can't just let you beat me, Sakura. If you just happen to be in the way Hinata then so be it." Ino avowed nonchalantly.

Sakura was getting angry. She knew this would be Ino's reaction but it still annoyed the hell out Sakura that her friend could be so cold to other's feelings simply for the thrill of what was a game to Ino.

"You really can be a bitch sometimes, Ino. You said you heard us speak. So you know that we have real strong feelings for Naruto-kun and yet you would attempt to get him to like you just so you can beat me or Hinata?" Sakura rumbled at her newest rival in love.

"Think of as motivation, forehead. You know I love the thrill of the chase more than the actual capture. But if he is as great as you guys say he is, then maybe he is worth capturing and keeping all to myself. I mean Sasuke is a pain in the ass. It took almost every trick I had just to get him to come out tonight to a group dinner. I can't imagine how much work it'd take to get him to be good boyfriend material. To quote Shika, it'd be way too troublesome. Naruto is much more outgoing and would be much easier to mold into a good boyfriend." Ino explained her 'weird' thoughts on the matter.

Sakura sighed. This is exactly how she figured Ino would be almost to the letter. I guess she couldn't be too annoyed since this was just how her friend was. She of all people knew her better than anyone.

"So you intend to drop Sasuke now after all that effort you put out to get him? Seems like a waste, Ino-pig. I would think that the harder the catch, the better the thrill." Sakura tried one last attempt to derail her friend's new declaration.

"Well, it's not that thrilling if my biggest rival isn't after the same prize. Besides, I'm definitely the underdog in the race for Naruto since the two of you have been after him for longer. It makes it much more interesting for me. It's a much bigger challenge than Sasuke ever was. In fact now that I know you never liked Sasuke, it almost taints his image for me." Ino explained.

"Well I'm not worried, Ino-san. Naruto-kun won't fall for your tricks when Sakura-San and myself have real affection for him. One of us will prevail because Naruto-kun is certainly smart enough to realize who truly loves him. If I don't win, then I am sure Sakura-san will and even though I would be sad at losing, I will be happy in knowing that Naruto-kun will be with someone who loves him as much as I do." Hinata assertively declared.

Sakura smiled at Hinata. She knew exactly how Hinata felt. Sakura wanted nothing more in the world than for Naruto to have a chance at happiness. The second thing she wanted was for that happiness to be with her though. She wasn't going to go down so easily. She wouldn't accept defeat unless Naruto himself told her that he didn't want her. Until that time came, she would do everything in her power to make him her's.

"That's right, pig. You can't hope to win against two people that truly love him. So don't be too disappointed when you go down." Sakura got in a shot.

A smirk crossed Ino's face.

"Oh, I didn't think you realized my plans that fast, Sakura. Plus judging by what he looks like I don't think I'll be too disappointed _going down_." Ino grinned sinfully

"What? I don't know what you're getting at… OH! GOD INO! You really are a pig!" Sakura blushed as she realized exactly what Ino was getting at.

Hinata was as red as a tomato at the thoughts brought on by Ino's words. Ino merely laughed at their reactions.

"Ha! I don't think I can lose to a couple of prudes like you two. If you're not willing to do _anything_ to get your man, then be prepared to lose." Ino callously replied while smirking.

Sakura knew Ino was bluffing. She was after all her best friend. She told her everything and she sure, as hell wouldn't forget to tell her if she did that or not.

"Who are you kidding, Pig? You know you've never done anything like _that_ with a boy. I'm your best friend. You've told me everything you've done and all you ever said was that you managed to tongue kiss. You may act like a slut but you can't fool me." Sakura shot back trying to regain control of the situation.

Ino was thrown off at the truth that Sakura spoke to her.

"Yea well… what do you know, forehead. Maybe I didn't tell you is all." Ino tried to remain confident but was failing miserably.

"Uh huh, like you wouldn't run to me bragging about doing _that_ with a boy. I know your act Ino better than you know it yourself." Sakura smiled realizing that she knocked her friend off her game a little.

"Well at least boys like the slut act. If you show them that you are interested in being physical then they will show interest in you. I mean all men are horn-dogs. You just have to offer what they want and then they are instantly engrossed in what you have to say. It's much better than being a shy fool or a mean bitch that beats the one they supposedly love into liking them." Ino put in plain words the philosophy behind her _weird_ plans.

"Whatever, Ino-pig. You can pretend to be a slut or actually become one for all I care but cheap tricks like that won't sway my Naruto-kun. He is a genuine guy that is looking for someone to love him." Sakura stated.

"Oh, I intend to _love_ him alright. That's why you guys won't have a chance with your prudish ways once I'm done with him." Ino declared with a devilish grin.

"Bring it on, pig! I won't lose to you, especially for Naruto-kun's heart." Sakura reaffirmed.

"I too won't lose to such an immoral plan." Hinata stated.

"Oh come on. You mean to tell me you both love this guy and you neither of you have dreamed about rocking his world at least once?" Ino shot back trying to throw them off.

The reaction she got was around what she was going for. Hinata turned almost crimson at the _immoral_ thoughts that ran through her mind involving a certain blonde haired shinobi, a bottle of lotion, a paddle and strange leather outfits. Hinata started to mimic the act she had been perpetrating in class by poking her fingers together nervously but this time she was genuine.

Sakura's reaction was slightly different. While she was embarrassed at her own wonderful dreams with Naruto that involved various locations, numerous positions and a bunch of clones from that new move he learned today, she had a grin on her face while recalling them all instead of being mortified. She sighed and then brought herself back to reality.

"See. Don't try to fool me, you two. I'm a pro at this game." Ino avowed.

"Yea a pro that has yet to get a win." Sakura retorted.

"And you have?" Ino shot back.

They all stood silent for a few minutes. Finally, Hinata spoke up.

"Well, I guess we should get back before everyone thinks something is wrong."

"You're right. But just know, you two, Naruto-kun will be my man no matter what." Sakura laid down the gauntlet to her rivals.

"I am prepared, Sakura-San. I won't lose." Hinata confidently replied.

"You won't beat me, forehead. Even though I have some catching up to do, I will come out on top, believe it." Ino threw in Naruto's tagline for added affect.

"That was corny as hell, Ino-pig." Sakura responded not very amused.

All three of the girls cleaned themselves up and then went back to the table to begin the real battle for Naruto's love.

While walking up to the table, Sakura looked directly at Naruto who locked eyes with her. He smiled at her and she couldn't help but smile in return. She had one thought cross her mind.

_"I won't lose. Naruto-kun, I love you so much and I will finally tell you some way. It's a promise."_

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Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry to again end it before the action started but at least it laid the frame work for whats going to happen now and it also further established some other _weird_ philosophies on boy-catching that girls have.

**Once again, I have an obscure cartoon reference in my disclaimer. To those that watch that show, it's probably not that obscure but it still might throw them off. Name for me the show it came from and as a bonus, name me the character I described. Mad Props will be given.**

As always please Review. If you hate it, let me know. You love it, let me know that too but let me know why you loved it. It helps to know what I'm doing right. Till next time, which I hope is sooner than a week.


	7. Chapter 7

And I'm back! This chapter is a little smaller than my others but it's as far as I could go tonight. I have many ideas for the ending but I didn't want to just throw them altogether half-assed. I believe Chapter 8 will be the last chapter to the story. It will probably be slightly larger then most or not. Whatever it takes to get those ideas in a coherent form. This chapter I'm not as happy about compared to my others but it had a few key points in it that will set up my ending. I'll let everyone decide for themselves what they think of it.

Onto my readers in general. You guys kick ass! My story now has almost 16,000 hits in the 24 days that it has been posted. I shot up from 65 reviews before Chapter 6 to 126 after it. You guys really loved that chapter I take it. I hope this one doesn't disappoint. Rounding out the stats, I have 92 alerts, 76 favs and 9 C2s that have all bookmarked "Girls Are Weird." **Thanks** to each and everyone of you.

Now the Disclaimer Trivia answer from Chapter 6. It was of course Wayne the Brain (or Main Brain) McClane from Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Many got it right. Here's the names. **Azrielmienta, dwayne kimball, DarkSyde24, Rad Beoulve, inuspartan, frik1000, Kiyoshi Shichiro **and** Echizen Ryoma-san** all got it right further proving my point that the question was way to easy for those that watched the show. No big deal though. It's nice to see many fans of ATHF enjoy my story.

So this week's disclaimer will have to be a little harder to decipher.

Disclaimer: If I was a middle-aged, black vampire hunter that teamed up with a gay monk and necromancer who has a hot daughter, I probably wouldn't be able to claim Naruto as my own anyway. **So, I don't own Naruto.**

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Girls Are Weird

Chapter 7

Upon there return from the restroom, Sakura noticed the curious glances the three girls received from the group which seem to inquire about what they had discussed in the ladies room while they were gone.

Kurenai-sensei in particular had a decent idea of the subject matter having spoken with Hinata earlier in the day but was curious as to why Sakura and Ino were involved.

The boys seemed to be confused but not to the point that they let it ruin the mood.

Kiba glanced inquisitively at his female teammate for a moment but then caught a whiff of the second platter of slightly above raw meat that came his way and quickly ignored all outside interference as he focused on the poor defenseless steak.

Shino was intrigued by the situation, as he wasn't leaning against the chair with his hands in his pockets portraying a passive look on his face. Now he was sitting up straight with his hands in his pockets portraying a passive look on his face. To those that know an Aburame, this was a fully alert and attentive pose.

Shikamaru seemed to sense trouble in the air and became suddenly alert. His trouble sense had never failed him before in detecting troublesome situations. Of course in his mind, all situations were troublesome so he always sensed trouble coming. This trouble seemed to be off his own scale though and he began formulating a strategy to escape without harm.

Chouji paused for a brief moment to notice his blonde haired teammate's return to the table. He quickly covered the blush that was forming at her presence by stuffing his face at a faster pace then before. Thankfully, Akamichi's throats also expand allowing food to pass through without choking. Otherwise, our rotund friend would have surely perished from the quantities he was inhaling at the speed of sound.

Sasuke merely sighed as the three returned to interfere on the moment of silence he was enjoying at the absence of two of his fangirls.

Sakura noted her two rivals movements. Hinata reacquired her seat directly next to Naruto and slid in closer than she previously sat. Ino meanwhile took a seat directly across from Naruto at the table and eyed him up like a piece of meat. For added effect she licked her lips seductively. She still was next to Sasuke but the lack of attention she was paying him only increased the confusion and curiosity that was mounting within the group of genin and their senseis.

Sakura then returned her gaze to Naruto as she retook her seat by his side. He gave her his usual dumb foxy grin that melted away all the worry she was feeling moments ago during the conversation/confrontation she had in the ladies room.

Sakura was not worried with appearances anymore now that her two biggest threats knew her intentions. She scooted up close to Naruto basically letting her body touch his as she cutely smiled back at him.

Sakura noticed that Naruto was beginning to become less and less shocked by her actions of late. He only briefly gave her a confused look before smiling again. This was going better than she had hoped.

Of course it couldn't be that easy. Just then, Hinata pretended to become faint and fall onto Naruto's left shoulder.

"Oh, Naruto-kun. I'm s-sorry. I feel light headed all of a sudden. C-could I rest my head here for a moment?" Hinata coyly asked the blonde.

Sakura showed annoyance on the outside at the blatant maneuver but gave her opponent some grudging respect inwardly.

Naruto showed genuine concern for the violet haired girl beside him and turned his attention towards her.

"Sure thing, Hinata. You feeling ok lately? You seemed to be feeling light headed a lot when I see you." Naruto raised his hand to her forehead to check her temperature.

Hinata gave a blush but the smile she had on her face gave away the pure exuberance she was feeling inside from the contact.

"Yes, Naruto-kun I'm feeling well. I always f-feel well when I am around y-you." Hinata whispered apparently hoping only the blonde genin would be able to hear.

Sakura had heard though and moved to counter. She laid her head on Naruto's other shoulder and then followed that up by wrapping her arm around his taking his hand into her own.

This took everyone at the table by surprise aside from the two other genin kunoichis. Everyone had a look on their faces that seemed to shout 'What the fuck is going on?'

Sakura ignored their dumbfounded expressions and whispered into Naruto's ear.

"You know, Naruto-_kun_, I was enjoying our _date_. Perhaps when this is over, we could continue it alone." She purred into his ear.

The pure bliss on his face gave her the only answer she needed to hear. Though a verbal response would be appreciated just to show her superiority to her two opponents'. He turned to her about to voice such a response.

"Sakura-Chan…" Naruto was cut off abruptly with a look of shock on his face. This shocked look was replaced with an enormous blush.

Sakura couldn't figure out at first what was causing this sudden reaction till she noticed what was going on his lap. She could distinctly see a foot gently caressing the growing bulge in his lap from under the table.

Sakura glared directly across the table at her best friend. She could see the smug look on Ino's face when she locked eyes with her own. They seemed to say 'tough luck, forehead' without ever letting a word escape her mouth.

Sakura fumed inside. Sakura noticed Hinata was also not happy at all by the blonde girl's meddling.

Sakura then returned her attention to Naruto noticing a change in his demeanor. He was no longer shocked or embarrassed by Ino's actions. Now he had a playful grin on adorning his face.

"Ino, I can understand wanting a foot massage but my hands are more suited for that kind of task don't you think." Naruto teasingly announced.

Ino wasn't expecting Naruto to be so open about her antics and had the grace to blush slightly at being revealed.

"Maybe later if you're good, Ino-Chan." Naruto continued his playfulness.

Ino's blush deepened but her smile widened.

Suddenly everyone was looking at Naruto and wondering what the hell he was talking about. The blush they saw on Ino's face only confused matters. Everyone was thinking along the same lines.

"_What was Ino doing to cause her to blush?" _

Sakura was stunned by Naruto's flirting but grinned as Ino's foot receded back under the table. Seeing another opportunity open she turned to move in on Naruto's ear. She was beaten once again though by Hinata.

"Naruto-kun. P-perhaps you are correct about my health. I am not feeling as w-well as I thought. I don't want to ruin everyone's mood though. C-could you escort me to my house after our meal?" Hinata whispered shyly in Naruto's ear.

"Well, how about I take you there now since you aren't doing so well?" Naruto asked with some concern in his voice for the health of the raven-haired girl.

"I d-don't want to be a bother though, Naruto-kun. It can wait till after the m-meal." She timidly replied.

"Hinata, you are never a bother. I am merely worried about your health as any friend would be. I'll make sure you get home safely." Naruto once again insisted.

Hinata appeared happy that she was able to score a walk home with the blonde but also displayed a sad look when he mentioned her as a friend. Sakura only noted the first part about the walk home and attempted to intervene.

"Naruto-kun, if Hinata-san is not feeling well, we could both escort her home after our meal to ensure her safety since you also have to escort me home. That's what a gentleman does on a date after all." Sakura whispered divinely in his ear.

This again caused Naruto to shudder with enjoyment at the feel of her breath on his skin. He slyly grinned at Sakura and then spoke.

"Why Sakura-Chan? If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you didn't want to leave me alone with another pretty girl." He grinned knowingly at her.

Hinata smiled and blushed at the compliment he gave her.

Sakura was taken a back by his forwardness. She was momentarily at a loss for words from his playful response.

"Don't worry Sakura-Chan. I haven't forgotten about my obligations as a gentleman. I will escort Hinata home now since she isn't feeling well and then return to accompany my lovely teammate to her house." Naruto gave her a flirty version of his foxy grin that caused Inner Sakura to faint from joy and nearly had Sakura collapse into his arms.

The group was just taking this all in and wondered what exactly was in the food they were eating.

Sasuke's expression seemed to be confused as to how the dobe had managed to grab the attention of his two main fangirls within the span of less than a day. His appearance exhibited his confusion as to whether he felt gratitude at being free from the annoyance or jealousy that he was losing to the blonde at yet another contest?

Kiba was now paying full attention to the situation, as it was very entertaining. The lecherous grin on his face seemed to say 'lucky dog' towards his blonde haired friend.

Shikamaru, having discovered the full nature of the trouble that presented itself, seemed to be pondering a quick escape and was going through the possible scenarios that presented themselves with the least amount of trouble.

Chouji was still pondering what Ino had done to illicit the comment Naruto gave her. He also looked as if was a little jealous at Naruto's ability to make the confident, blonde kunoichi blush.

Shino had a look of realization wash over his features. Perhaps his bugs explained what was going on. If you could see behind his collar, you'd have observed a gaping mouth fixed with a shocked appearance.

Asuma and Kurenai both giggled to themselves at the whole situation.

Sakura recovered from the momentary shock Naruto's flirting had given her and finally was able to speak.

"Are you sure, Naruto-kun? It wouldn't be that much trouble for me to come with you." She tried not to beg but it didn't sound that way.

Naruto leaned in and whispered gently into her ear.

"Don't worry, Sakura-Chan. I promise I'll be back. I'd be a pretty bad _date_ if I left such a beautiful girl hanging but I'd be a very bad friend if I didn't take care of a friend who was ill." Naruto reassured her.

Sakura noted the genuine care in his voice and couldn't help be set at ease by him. He was such a good person. She couldn't expect him to not help a friend in need. She sighed and then conceded the argument simply assuming that anything Hinata would try on the short walk home, wouldn't be enough to overcome her advances.

The conversation that was taking place was too low for most at the table to understand but the actions displayed were enough to make for a good show.

Shikamaru saw his chance to slip out. He made his way to the door and sped into the night hoping that he was free from the trouble. No one even noticed his departure since their attention was focused on the Blonde haired _pimp_ before them.

Hinata seemed to feel hope and despair at the same time. Sakura noticed these emotions cross her face. Perhaps she heard the way Naruto called Hinata a friend instead of more. Sakura only hoped that this was how he viewed the pale-eyed girl. She would find out soon enough she guessed.

Naruto stood up with Hinata's head on his shoulder and then addressed everyone.

"Hey guys. Hinata isn't feeling so good, so I'm gonna take her home. I'll be back in a bit." He explained to everyone.

They all seemed to buy that explanation.

Sakura sighed, as it seemed her date was now over. Her blonde dream boy headed off with her rival on his one arm. All she could do was hope that his feelings for her were as strong as hers were for him. She cursed herself for not letting him know how much he meant to her sooner. Then none of this needless worrying about losing him would be necessary.

As it stood all she could do was wait for his return and hope that Hinata didn't make much if any progress with him.

In all her analyzing, Sakura had missed the departure of some other people from the group. Most notably was Ino.

"_How could I miss her slipping out? She's going to try something I'm sure of it._" Sakura contemplated.

She said she would wait for Naruto to return but she couldn't just let Ino get away with whatever she was planning. Sakura decided to set out and find Naruto before Ino did. She couldn't let both of them make further headway with him then she had been able to that night.

"_Naruto-kun, I will find you and tell you my true feelings this night. I will not spend another moment without you by my side. That is my promise."_ Sakura declared to herself.

With that, Sakura said goodbye to those that remained at the table and set off to find her love in order to finally set this whole mess straight.

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Ugh. Like I said, I don't think it was my best chapter but I'll let you guys tell me what you think.

Shikamaru's actions may seem comical and random but they serve a purpose as do Chouji's. Hopefully I don't screw that purpose up next chapter.

**As for the disclaimer, tell me the name of the show to receive my acknowledgement but give me the characters name and you will fucking impress the hell out of me. I gave enough clues that those that watch the show should be able to recognize it. Still his name may not come to them immediately.**

Thanks again for reading. Please review because I love that so much. Nothing beats checking your email to find a review for your story sitting there. Well actually alot of things beat that but it still gives a good feeling when I do it. So just press the little purple button below and tell me what you think. Hate me? Tell me then, fucker. ;-) Love me? If you're young and female, please send a picture for verification of smexyness. (BTW, I'm JK! So don't get all mad all my lovely, lady readers out there)

As a side note, I write the opening and closing off the top of my head. So grammar there is usually atrocious compared to the story. I reread my chapters about 4 times before I post it. My opening and closing I might read once.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Till next time.


	8. Chapter 8

All good things… (hmm that'd make an excellent final trivia question)

Sadly, this indeed is the last chapter my faithful readers. I was able to put the ideas I had into one chapter. I personally feel this might be the best chapter I've written in the story. I hope you all agree with me. Fear not though. I probably will write an epilogue for when they are all grown up and married. People seem to like that sort of thing and I have some small ideas for that rolling around in my head. Don't expect a sequel to this though. Just an epilogue.

As for the previous Disclaimer Trivia question, the answer was "The Venture Brothers" and the character's name was "Jefferson Twilight." He specializes in hunting blackulas or black vampires. Many people got the show but only a few got the character's name. Echizen Ryoma-san, Exodius, Momochikd, Kiyoshi Shichiro, Biff7171, Kyuubi no Shinigami, DarkSyde24, and madness of samehada all got the Venture Bros part correct. **Momochikd** and **madness of samehada** both managed to give me the character's name. Special mad props is being constructed for their amusement at this time.

I'm kind of sad that it must end since it was so much fun but fear not. I now realize that I was successful in writing an interesting fanfic and I intend to write more of them. I have a pretty cool idea for a Naruto: Rewrite/Time travel fic. Sure its been done to death but I always wanted to write one the way I felt it should have been done. I hope some of you will be interested enough to read and review that when it comes out. The main pairing will be NaruIno with some NaruSaku moments. I don't think it'll be a harem but I'll have to feel it out when I start writing. I mainly want it to be NaruIno. I love that couple lately.

**Also, I hope people check out my profile page to see my Top 10 lists. I have 1 for large stories and one for One-shots. There are many excellent stories on there that I want to share with everyone. I hope everyone goes and checks it out.**

Enough babbling though, lets get to what people want.

Disclaimer: No trivia in here this time. Would be too predictable. So I'll just say, that **I don't own Naruto.** Doesn't mean there isn't a trivia question though. Read at the bottom when you're done the story to find out what it is.

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Girls Are Weird

Chapter 8

Sakura shot out of the restaurant like a dart in search of her love. She was running all over the village looking for his whereabouts along with the violet haired kunoichi he escorted home. While she was searching, she made sure to keep an eye out for another loud-mouthed blonde that Sakura was positive would try something with her man.

Sakura had to remain alert at all times for her opponents were crafty and couldn't be underestimated. She made a vow to herself to let Naruto know her feelings before the night was over and she would do everything in her power to achieve that goal.

After several hours of searching, Sakura realized a few things. She was glad she decided to start doing those workouts a few months ago to get into shape to become a genin and she was certain that the designer of this village was a drunken idiot.

"_So many turns and zigzags that lead to dead ends. It's a wonder anyone can get around in this town!"_ Sakura fumed

"**I swear I'll go back in time and pummel the Asshole who thought it was funny to have roads that lead to nowhere in a village this big!"** Inner Sakura Howled

By this time, it was getting late and Sakura was wondering if Naruto had already returned to the restaurant for her. She began to backtrack and finally came across the Hyuga compound. The site before her was definitely not what she expected.

Hinata was sitting on a bench out front of her house being hugged not by Sakura's blonde haired love but by the pineapple haired, lazy ass. It also didn't seem like this was a hug of happiness as Hinata was apparently crying her eyes out into the aforementioned lazy-ass's chest.

Sakura was very curious as to what was going on and where was Naruto. She went into stealth mode to try and listen in to see if she could hear anything relevant to her quest.

"Why doesn't he love me, Shikamaru-san?" Hinata wailed.

"There, there Hinata… it's…umm… ok." Shikamaru tried his best to console her the way he remembered his dad doing for his mom.

He was clearly uneasy by the whole situation. Sakura wondered how he got sucked into this in the first place. She'd have to worry about that later though. She wanted to see what else she could find out.

"I told him that I love him and all he could say is that he just wants to be friends. I feel like such a fool!" Hinata sobbed with renewed vigor into Shikamaru's moistened shirt.

Sakura couldn't help but feel relief wash over her at the sound of these words. Naruto only wanted to be friends with Hinata. That meant that he loved someone else. She hoped that she indeed was that someone. Her rational mind told her not to worry about it but the illogical love sick part told her that he still might fall for someone else. Sakura refocused on the scene before her to try and find out anymore information on where Naruto might be.

"Well I'm sure he has a good reason for it. Naruto wouldn't purposely hurt one of his friends. That I'm positive of." Shikamaru tried to reassure her.

"It's just that I admire him so much for what he has endured. Growing up without parents and dealing with the hatred of the village for whatever reason. He is truly an inspiration to me. I see him and I want to become stronger and be better at what I do." Hinata stated with tear-swollen eyes.

"How will that change then? You can still admire him as a friend. He can still be your inspiration." Shikamaru offered.

"You don't understand though. I love him. I want to be with him so that I can grow stronger with him by my side." Hinata retorted.

"You love him and want him by your side because of that or is it that he represents the freedom that you crave? Freedom you don't have within your clan. Naruto represents the image of what you wish to be. Is it that you love Naruto or that you want to be like Naruto?" Shikamaru presented his wisdom to her.

"I love Naruto! I mean I think I love Naruto. I'm pretty sure I do… I have to love him…" Hinata began to trail off as her mind was running in circles at the lazy genius' words.

"You see. You never gave it much thought have you?" He replied.

"But he has everything I ever wanted in a boy. He is cute. He is strong. He…umm…well…he's nice. He…well…" Hinata again trailed off.

"How can you determine if you truly love someone when you've never actually gotten to know him? All the times I've seen you interact with him you've either blushed madly or fainted within a few minutes time. I know you, Hinata. I'm not a genius for nothing. You aren't that shy yet you put on that act in front of Naruto. Instead of acting weird, you should have tried to get to know him better." Shikamaru again carefully explained to her.

"I thought that he would fall for me if I acted shy and coy. I guess I was foolish to think that." Hinata sighed as she was beginning to see the wisdom in Shikamaru's words.

"It's not foolish. Sometimes people do weird things when they think they are in love. I mean I'm no expert mind you. My expertise lies in figuring things out so I can avoid troublesome situations. Yet here I am consoling a pretty girl about her love life in the middle of the night, in front of her father's house, who any moment could come out and make my life troublesome." Shikamaru sighed and shook his head at his current situation.

Hinata couldn't help but giggle at his behavior.

"You are so smart Shikamaru-san. I'm glad I ran into you on my way home. I don't know what I would have done without you." Hinata gracefully thanked the lazy boy.

"Don't worry about it, Hinata. We've been friends for a while. I'm always here if you need someone to talk to. It's usually too troublesome but I can make an exception for those I consider true friends like Chouji, Naruto and you." Shikamaru slothfully explained.

Sakura could see from her concealed location that Hinata was beaming at the boy she was hugging. She figured that this turn of events would bode well for her chances with Naruto. Sakura was about to leave to go find her love when she overheard Hinata start speaking again.

"You know Shika-kun, now that I think about it, blonde was never my favorite color in a boy's hair. I guess you were right about my infatuation with Naruto being more about improving myself and not about love." Hinata replied in a sweet, confident voice.

"You see, now you are starting to act less troublesome when you use that brain of yours. You always were a smart one, Hinata." Shikamaru replied completely ignoring the new nickname she had for him.

Hinata then wrapped her arms around Shikamaru's neck and moved her face closer to his. This got Shikamaru's attention as his trouble meter was beginning to skyrocket.

"Now that I do think about it, Shika-kun, I always had a thing for boys with brown hair and pony tails." Hinata seductively spoke as she inched even closer to Shikamaru.

"You don't say…" Shikamaru responded nervously realizing that there was no escape from the trouble that will soon be upon him.

Hinata quickly closed the gap and gently touched her lips onto his in a kiss. Sakura stared at the scene wide-eyed for a few moments. After about ten seconds or so, Hinata released her connection to the brown haired boy leaving him dumbfounded. The look on his face was a mixture of confusion, fear and pleasure.

"I wanted to thank you properly, Shika-kun for all you've done for me tonight. I have to go now but I would like it if we could hang out together some time, just the two of us." Hinata spoke with great confidence and care.

Sakura saw that Shikamaru was still in a state of shock or bliss. She couldn't really determine. He merely nodded at her words.

Even though, Sakura experienced Hinata's true self only hours earlier in the girl's lavatory, she still couldn't get over how self-assured and outgoing Hinata was now. Sakura assumed that Hinata dropped her act and was going to show her true self from now on. In some way this made Sakura happy as she always had a soft spot for the violet haired girl. She always wanted to try and help her gain some confidence in her self at the academy but her jealousy of Naruto's love had always prevented her from seeking out her classmate. Sakura hoped that when this was all over, she would have a new friend to speak with.

Those thoughts had to wait though. She had spent enough time gathering Intel and realized that she wasn't any closer to finding Naruto's whereabouts. There was still one major opponent to defeat before she could achieve her objective.

With that, Sakura began making her way back to the restaurant hoping that she would catch Naruto before he made it there.

She raced across the rooftops after the realization came to her that traveling on the ground in this village was a fool's errand.

"_No wonder ninja always travel along the rooftops. I always thought they were just showing off."_ Sakura thought.

She arrived back at the restaurant only to find that it was closed for the night. She looked around for her blue eyed sweetheart but alas he was nowhere to be found. Her heart sank thinking that he returned and thought that she had abandoned him. She immediately sped off in the direction of his apartment in order to hopefully catch him before he fell asleep.

As she was dashing along, she heard a noise in a nearby park that caught her attention. The noise sounded a lot like a certain blonde haired pig girl. Sakura quickly raced over to where she heard the noise coming from.

When Sakura got closer she could see Ino in the shadows passionately kissing someone. She tried to get closer and began hearing Ino speak.

"Mmm, I never thought you'd be this good a kisser. Even though you taste like sirloin. Its kind of cute though." Ino enchantingly muttered to her companion.

She then went in for another round. Her partner remained silent throughout the whole affair. Sakura kept trying to inch closer to find out just Ino was making out with.

She finally caught a glimpse when the boy came into the light. She truly wished she hadn't though. There with his lips locked onto Ino's as she sat in his lap was none other than her Naruto with a loving look adorning his face.

"No…" Sakura desolately whispered into the wind.

Sakura was about to breakdown and cry right there. All her hard work, all her sacrifices, all the suffering she put her love through just to be able to be with him one day was thrown away so quickly when a girl he never even noticed before slutted her way into his lap.

She turned with tears in her eyes to run away and drown her sorrow into her pillow at home. When she turned around she ran smack dab into a muscular chest and began to fall. Before she could land on the ground unceremoniously though, here obstruction reached out and scooped her into his arms. Everything happened so fast and she didn't even know whom it was that she was now embracing. She didn't really care though. She just wanted to run away as far as she could.

"Let go of me! Just leave me alone!" Sakura began to resist her captor.

"Sakura-Chan, what's wrong?" The masculine voice replied.

Sakura suddenly stopped struggling and looked up at the boy encircling her. She could see through the darkness shining blue orbs peering back at her. His hair was dangling in wild locks that shimmered brightly from the street lamps. The muscular build wrapped around her and made her feel safe and welcomed at their touch. She realized exactly who this was then.

"Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed and bear hugged him.

Sakura then remembered the scene behind her with Ino. She wondered what was going on.

"Naruto, if you're here then who is down there? Don't tell me you're using a clone to hook up with Ino." Sakura asked him and was about to become genuinely angry depending on his answer.

"Calm down, Sakura-Chan. No, that isn't a clone. It's a friend who needed some help. I merely assisted him in his time of need." Naruto stated while making a super hero pose.

Sakura would have normally laughed at his antics but she was still confused at the situation.

"What do you mean friend? Who is it down there?" Sakura inquired.

"Well to explain that, why don't I tell you the whole story." Naruto suggested.

**_Flashback _**

Naruto had just left a crying Hinata when he ran into Shikamaru.

"Yo! Shika." Naruto called him over.

Shikamaru realized he was caught. Naruto was one of his good friends so he couldn't just run away from him even though all his trouble senses were telling him that that was the best course of action. Reluctantly he walked over to the blonde haired genin.

"Ugh, what is it, Naruto?" Shikamaru reluctantly replied.

"Hey buddy I need a favor from you. Hinata kind of told me she loves me a few minutes ago. I feel really bad but I didn't want to lead her on. I told her that I just wanted to be friends with her. I don't want to ruin that with her. I know you are as good a friend with her as I am so could you please go make sure she's ok. I would do it myself but I somehow think I would just make it worse with my presence." Naruto asked the pony-tailed genius.

Shikamaru sighed. This was indeed the epitome of troublesome.

"Alright, Naruto. I normally wouldn't do any of this but you and Hinata are good friends and I can't let one of my friends suffer alone. You owe me big for this though." Shikamaru unenthusiastically replied.

"You got it pal. I'll play shougi and go with you as much as you want all next week." Naruto offered.

"Normally, that wouldn't really be an adequate proposition but the last few times we've played have been enjoyable since you've gotten a lot better. So I'll take you up on that offer." Shikamaru accepted.

"Cool. Thanks a lot, Shika. I truly appreciate it. I need to head back and pick up Sakura-Chan now. Catch ya later." Naruto stated as he took off towards the restaurant leaving a sighing Shikamaru in his wake.

Along his route, Naruto ran into another pal. His heavy set friend looked a little sad when he came upon him, so Naruto stopped off to find out what the trouble was.

"Hey, Chouji! What's up? You look a little down." Naruto asked his plump friend.

"Oh hey, Naruto. I was just thinking about a girl is all." Chouji replied dejectedly.

Naruto could tell that his friend was upset about something and he had a slight idea what it was.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with what happened tonight at the restaurant would it?" Naruto inquired.

"Kind of. I was just wondering how you did it, man. I mean you had three chicks all over you. Then you managed to make the one blush in a way I've never seen her do before with just a smile and some words." Chouji explained his thoughts.

"You're talking about a certain blonde haired girl now aren't you?" Naruto asked trying to see if he hit the target.

Chouji began blushing at the thought of his female teammate and her reaction at the restaurant.

"I guess that's the one. Chouji, my man. If you want to be able to get a girl like Ino, you need to be confident in your abilities. She doesn't go after a guy that is unsure of himself. I know you got it in you, man. You are strong, kind and loyal beyond a shadow of a doubt. You just have to have confidence in that part of yourself and you'll be able to sweep her off her feet." Naruto cheerfully proposed to his friend.

"You think so? But I mean I'm so damn shy when I'm around her. I don't even think she knows I'm there except when I annoy her." Chouji despondently answered.

"Then you have to do something bold and unexpected but at the same time be able to keep you from getting shy. I think I have the perfect idea." Naruto began whispering to Chouji his idea and Chouji started grinning at what he was planning.

"Now you do what I tell you and you'll sweep her off her feet for sure. Now follow me." Naruto explained.

Naruto searched around till he found the blonde haired kunoichi. She apparently was searching for him.

"Ah! There you are, Naruto-kun. I was looking all over for you." Ino bewitchingly expressed as she ran over to where Naruto was standing.

"Oh is that so? What are you going to do now that you found me, blondy?" Naruto lightheartedly flirted with her.

"Well, why don't you come here and find out?" She said as she seductively waved her finger to come join her.

"Well, I don't know. I can't think of anything very fun to do with you off the top of my head." Naruto mocked her as he put his hand on his chin as if he were pondering what types of activities they could do together.

"Hmm, if that's the case then I guess I'll just have to show you what you're missing." She teasingly offered to the boy in front of her as she snaked closer to her objective.

"Hmm, I can't imagine missing anything that great though." He mocked her again.

Amazingly, Ino only seemed to be more egged on by his actions rather than annoyed. It must've been the playful gleam in his eyes with the way he was skillfully rejecting her advances. Whatever it was, Ino was beginning to be turned on by his antics. She stalked right up to him and stroked her finger along his chest.

"I guess words can't truly describe it, so here you go." Ino said and then leaned in to kiss _Naruto_ on the lips.

Just before she moved in for the kiss, Naruto used a replacement jutsu with Chouji to switch places. Chouji was wearing a henge that made him appear like Naruto. From there the sparks flew and Ino was in full fledged make out mode. She pinned Chouji to the ground and began to press her tongue against his lips as they kissed begging for entry into his mouth. Chouji happily obliged her advances and kissed her back passionately for all he was worth.

Naruto observed his handy work from a safe place off to the side.

**_End Flashback_**

Sakura was once again shocked to say the least. "So then, Ino-pig is kissing…"

"Yep! Chouji." Naruto finished for her.

Sakura looked back at the scene before her. Ino was really enjoying kissing Chouji in henge form still. She was really getting into it.

"What happens though when she finds out it's not you?" Sakura asked.

"Easy. From what I've observed of Ino, she will appreciate his boldness. I of course won't mention that it was me up until the kiss that was flirting with her. She'll think it was Chouji and thus, she'll fall for him instead of me. Although at first she might be mad. Guess we'll find out in a minute won't we." Naruto explained with a huge grin on his face.

Naruto took Sakura's hand into his own and guided her over to a secluded spot so that they could watch. Sakura completely forgot about Chouji and Ino when Naruto had taken hold of her hand. She was dancing up and down on the inside at the contact she was feeling. Now that she had found him, she couldn't wait to tell him how she felt. Her musings were cut short as Naruto began motioning towards the couple making out before them.

"Ok watch this, Sakura-Chan. I think you'll enjoy it." Naruto explained to her.

Just then, Chouji dropped the henge. There now sat a mesmerized Ino still passionately kissing her chubby teammate. When she finally came up for air, she released a sigh of pleasure at the experience she just enjoyed. She turned to begin her kissing escapades anew when she noticed who she was now kissing.

"Chouji?! What the hell are you doing here?" Ino yelled in shock.

Just as Naruto instructed, Chouji gave a confident reply. "What does it look like, Ino-Chan? I'm kissing a beautiful girl."

The look in his eyes mesmerized the blonde haired girl. She had never seen her teammate in this light before. She was still annoyed but that was wearing off as realization came to her. All the flirting she had just done was not with Naruto, whom she barely knew, but with her childhood friend and current teammate. This made Ino forget her anger and move in for a fresh round of kissing.

"I had no idea you could be so much _fun_, Chouji-kun." Ino sweetly replied.

"Guess you'll have to stick around to find out what other kinds of fun we can have, Ino-Chan." He gave a cocky grin to her as he spoke.

Sakura observed from afar with Naruto right by her side. She saw that her best friend had a look of true happiness upon her face. She had never seen that look before on Ino and she was happy for her. All the bickering and fighting the two did was merely for show. They really were best friends at heart. So when she saw that her best friend was truly happy for once, she couldn't help but feel joy swell inside her as well.

"Well, let's let these two have some privacy now shall we, Sakura-Chan?" Naruto broke her from her musings with his words.

She nodded in agreement with a grin on her face.

Naruto offered his hand to her to help her up. She took it but didn't let go after she got up. Naruto grinned back at her. They strolled along the road at a leisurely place headed to Sakura's house. Sakura saw this finally as the perfect opportunity to profess her love.

"Naruto-kun?" She began.

"Yes, Sakura-Chan?"

"There's something I've been meaning to tell you all night. No, not just tonight, for a long time now." Sakura continued trying to piece together what she wanted to say.

"I know I act like I hate you and beat on you all the time for being annoying. Truthfully though, I want nothing more than to just wrap my arms around you and feel your warm embrace engulf me." She smiled at him as she kept going.

"You bring me joy and happiness with just your presence around me. My day is instantly brighter knowing that you are there to offer me a smile and a compliment. When you aren't around me, I feel a little empty inside by your absence." Sakura still had a smile but slowly tears of joy were forming in her emerald jewels.

"You are strong and smart. Your skills as a shinobi are exceptional as I always expected them to be every since I met you. I always knew you were smarter then you let on but you're even more brilliant then what I could have imagined." A look of pride was plastered on her face.

"Ever since I met you six years ago, I knew you were something special. Even then, I realized where my heart stood." Tears were now flowing down her cheeks.

"Naruto, I love you." She wrapped her arms around him and waited with baited breath for his response.

At first time stood still. She couldn't tell if he wasn't reacting or if it was just her overactive imagination making it seem like an eternity was passing by in those few seconds. She slowly brought her head up to look into his eyes hoping for acceptance. The look she received was exactly what she was looking for. His cerulean orbs locked with her emerald spheres and for what seemed like a lifetime, Sakura couldn't hear anything. All she felt was a warm feeling overwhelm every fiber of her being. It was an ecstatic feeling of pure bliss and she never wanted it to end. Finally, she could hear him speak to her in a calm, loving voice

"I know, Sakura-Chan. I love you too. I've always known you loved me. I just wanted to hear you finally say it." Naruto had tears of his own starting to come down his face.

"You knew?" Sakura was shocked yet again on this night.

"Yep. You know I'm not the baka everyone makes me out to be. I could see it in your eyes when you looked at me. Your eyes betrayed your outward actions. You may have acted like you hated me, but your eyes told me that you had authentic care for me. I think it was that look you always had for me that made me fall in love with you, Sakura-Chan." Naruto replied with genuine joy in his voice.

Sakura let her tears of joy flow from her eyes now. This was the moment she had always been dreaming of. She had declared her love to the boy of her dreams and he not only accepted her but fully pledged his love in return.

Naruto then slowly moved his head towards hers. The speed at which he moved seemed agonizing to Sakura as she wanted to feel his lips press against hers right then and there. Eventually, they were millimeters apart taking in each other's breathe until finally, Sakura leaned in and captured his lips against her own. She pressed full against him with all her pent up passion fueling her actions. After what seemed like an eternity, she felt his tongue beckon her for access, which she hungrily accepted. Their tongues performed a skillful dance with one another until both had to separate for much needed air. They both caught their breath and looked at one another with loving eyes.

Sakura couldn't be happier. She stood in awe at his perfect smile, his golden locks, and his growing muscular physique. If she had dreamed for a thousand more lifetimes, she could have never envisioned a more perfect fantasy then what she now had standing before her. Here stood in her arms, Uzamaki Naruto, the man of her dreams and here he would stay for the rest of their lives if she had anything to say about it.

"I love you so much, Naruto. I never want to be without you again." Sakura exclaimed to her love.

"You won't. I promise, I won't ever leave you and I won't ever let anyone harm you while I'm around. It's a promise of a lifetime, my cherry blossom." Naruto professed to her.

They sealed this declaration of love with a passionate kiss that made the last session seem like a tepid warm-up. From that day forward, Sakura would be with her Naruto-kun and he would be with his Sakura-Chan. Both would understand exactly what true happiness means.

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And that's all folks! I hope everyone likes the ending. It's fluffy but not overly done I hope. Guess I'll find out. Can't be any worse than the Soprano's ending write, lol. FYI, never watched a full episode of Soprano's for the 8 years it was on. Just happened to hear how pissed everyone has been at the ending.

**For your trivia, the first line on this page refers to an episode title for a very well known series. This title was the last episode of the series shown. Hint, it's not a cartoon. Name me the series. That's all the clues you're getting this time.**

Actually made it challenging this time. Thanks once again for all the support. I had a ridiculous number of views even before this chapter went up. Almost 21,000 views and 165 reviews. I love all of you my readers. Especially my lady readers. ;-) Some actually sent me their pictures and I was VERY grateful for having received them…cough..cough…sweetestchick is a babe. Who said that? Oh well. Please read and review some more. I'm very excited to see what everyone thought of the final chapter.

As I sit here and look out my window, I see the sun coming up. Spent all night typing this. I wanted to get this idea down before I forgot it. I'm glad I got the chance to relieve my brain of this story. I hope you all are too.


	9. Thank You

**Girls Are Weird: Thank You**

I just want to thank everyone who read, reviewed and enjoyed my story. At this time, I'm going to mark it as complete. In the future I will most likely do an epilogue about when they are 25 or so. Right now though, I don't have a good idea on what to do other than the generic "Hey look so and so are together and they have kids, blah blah blah." That to me is just boring. So when I get a good idea for an epilogue, I'll write it.

The answer to the final trivia question was indeed, Star Trek: The Next Generation. No I am not a trekkie. I just enjoy Sci-Fi shows. Trekkies scare me. ::shudders:: Congrats to those who got it right. Rorax, Ryothesaiyan, foxdemon6207, Zras, Echizen Ryoma-san, Ninja Wolf 25, and madness of samehada. I think Echizen got all the trivia questions right.

Another note, as you have noticed this story is rated M. I personally don't feel it should be. I did this early on because some asshole threatened to report me for the cursing and sexual references. I have seen worse in T rated stories that I have read myself but this was my first fic and didn't want to get in trouble. **So now I will ask my audience, should this be rated T or M? I'm leaning more towards T. **Just let me know in a review or a PM. Whatever is easiest for you.

So that just about wraps things up on this tale. As I alluded to in other chapters, I do plan on writing a NaruIno Time Travel Rewrite. Might not be for a couple months. That one I will focus more on making longer chapters since it will be more action/adventure than this story was. Romance will still exist since Im a sucker for the mushy crap but there will be fighting and hopefully intrigue.

Enormous thanks to everyone once again but especially to several readers in particular who helped me out with either ideas, criticism or just undying devotion. Those were **JohnnyG, MrLee, Kiyoshi Shichiro, chelsea-chee, Sweetestchick, FreeTheKyuubi, Echizen Ryoma-san, DarkSyde24, Exodius **and** KlugerSage**. I'm sure I left a few others out but those people really kept me going with all their reviews and PMs. Thanks a ton.

Till next time...

Useful76


	10. New Story Notice

New Story Notice

Is been awhile people. Sorry but no epilogue yet on "Girls Are Weird." I promise I will one day. I do want to invite my audience to come take a look at my new story, "Finding the Sun Again." It is quite different from this one. Where GAW is light hearted and fluffy, "Finding the Sun Again" is full of angst. It is a Naruto x Hanabi pairing which is a rarity I know. Some of my NaruSaku fans might not enjoy the opening but I hope that they give it a shot. Please take a look at the story on my profile page if you are interested and tell me what you think.

Thanks again for all your support on my writing. I truly appreciate it.

Useful


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